Hell's Crossroads
by McGeeklover
Summary: Morgan and Greg are kidnapped and Greg does everything in his power to protect the woman he loves...even if that means sacrificing himself. The team only has so much time to find their two missing CSI's before it's too late. And Morgan realizes that you don't know what you got until it's gone...or in her case...until Greg is gone. Set in S13 a little after 'It Was a Very Good Year'
1. Chapter 1

**Hell's Crossroads**

**Hey everybody! Here's a new multi-chapter story requested by Csi99031! Enjoy! :)**

"I bet you this anonymous call about a smell is nothing but a dead raccoon," Greg said as he and Morgan stepped out of the Denali and stared at the rotting house before them. "Hell it could even be the house." They had gotten a call to this abandoned shack about something smelling like it had died inside and he and Morgan had been the lucky ones to get it. Though, he didn't mind being with Morgan.

"Wanna make that bet official?" Morgan smirked as they grabbed their kits and headed towards the house.

"Why, so you can rob me of all my money?" Greg chuckled.

"Aw, you chicken?"

"No," the older CSI shot back.

"Then make a bet."

Greg groaned. "Fine; hundred bucks its a dead animal."

"And _I_ bet its a body of an old woman who lived alone and just died peacefully."

Greg raised an eyebrow as they got to the front door, but stuck his gloved hand out. "It's a bet, Brody," he said as they shook on it before going inside, covering their nose as the stench of a decomposing body hit them at full force.

"Looking better for me each second, Sanders," Morgan smiled. "I'll take the bedrooms."

Greg nodded and they both separated, knowing that backup hadn't been there yet, but assumed they would get there soon. The older CSI slowly walked through the dimly lit room, his flashlight in hand as he walked through the living room and into the back where the small kitchen resided. And sure enough, he found the source of the smell. He gagged, covering his nose with his arm before squatting down and inspecting the body. It was a dead, rotting pig which could easily mimic the stench of a dead _human_ body.

"Guess what, Brody, your wallet is gonna feel one hundred dollars lighter in a few minutes!" he chuckled. He waited for a response or even footsteps from the younger CSI to come see what he was talking about...but there was nothing. Frowning, he stood up straight and listened. Silence.

"Morgan?" Breathing heavily, he quietly walked towards where the blonde had disappeared while his hand hovered over his gun. "Morgan, if you're trying to scare me, it's not funny!" Still nothing. "Morgan!" he walked down the hall, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he saw Morgan's kit in the entrance of the bedroom. He shone his light and creeped towards it and the second he looked inside, his stomach dropped.

"Morgan!" The woman was sprawled out on the ground, blonde hair over her face and unconscious. He didn't even care about clearing the room; his heart ruled his mind and he ran inside and fell to his knees, brushing the strands of hair away from her eyes. "M?"

"She's out cold, boy, and you will be too," a gruff voice suddenly spoke, causing Greg to gasp. Before he had time to turn around and grab his gun, something hard hit him over the temple. White hot pain flashed through his vision before unconsciousness engulfed him into the darkness and he knew no more.

"I think you might've hit him too hard, Walker," Doyle said, rubbing the back of his head as he came out from the closet.

Walker, the older brother, just shrugged and bent down and pressed a finger to the kid's neck. He had hit the man with a wooden bat, while Doyle had hit the girl with a lamp, and accidentally hit him harder than he had meant to. But he was angry. This was revenge. Blood caked the side of the CSI's head and he actually prayed he didn't kill him. Then this wouldn't be as much fun as he wanted it to be. He felt for a pulse and sighed. "He's fine; still got a strong pulse. Now come on, lets tie up their wrists and throw them in the van before more cops get here."

His younger brother nodded and tightly tied Greg's and Morgan's wrists together before each of them were slung roughly over Doyle's and Walker's back. They had parked on the side of the house and they silently made their way to the large van; Doyle opened the door and placed Morgan inside while Walker was a bit more rough and carelessly threw Greg next to her.

"Careful, Walker, are you trying to kill him before we can ask questions?"

"Shut up, D. Besides, the girl will probably break before he does. Hurry up, we need to disappear."

Doyle sighed and the shut the back doors before getting into the front seat and quietly driving away. The two CSI's were completely oblivious as to what their future would hold.

~+CSI+~

Morgan groaned weakly as she came to, her head killing her. She had no idea what happened or why she felt like she was moving even when she was laying down. The last thing she remembered was getting called to a crime scene. Did she ever make it there? Scrunching up her face, she blinked her eyes open and looked around her. When she tried to move her arms, she realized that they were tied tightly in front of her and also that she was in the back of a van that had one window on the door that was dirty and barely gave light. She had been kidnapped! All of a sudden she heard a small groan beside her and remembered something. Someone. Greg! Morgan looked next to her and saw the blonde man laying on his side, his hands tied _behind_ his back. Maybe there were two kidnappers. She gently flipped him over and gasped; his face was deathly pale and, even in the weak light, she could see the blood on the side of his head. She touched it carefully and sighed in relief when it was all dry.

"Greg," she whispered, not wanting to alert their kidnappers. She gently shook his shoulder, but he only groaned. "Greg, please wake up." A few moments later, his eyes squinted open before shutting them again from the pain in his head. God he felt so nauseous and he couldn't think straight; why did his head hurt so bad? He heard a soft voice above him and it made him want to come out of the darkness. But he was so tired. When he heard the voice again- a little more scared sounding- he decided he better not keep the person waiting. He opened his eyes again and looked up to see big blue eyes staring down at him.

"M-Morg'n?" He slurred before clearing his throat.

"Hey," she smiled. "How're you feeling?"

The man groaned as he tried sitting up and eventually getting Morgan's help. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, the movement of the car making him sicker than ever. "Like I got hit by a bat...are you okay?"

Morgan laughed quietly. "Your head is the one that's bleeding and you're asking if I'm okay?"

"Well...are you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. My head kinda hurts, but that's it."

"Okay...good." His forehead scrunched up in pain.

Morgan looked at her friend in sympathy. "You do have a pretty bad bump on the side of your head." She inched closer and cupped his face. "Open your eyes, I need to check if you have a concussion."

"P-Probably do...my head feels like it's gonna split open any second." He opened his eyes and Morgan gently lifted his eyelid, looking inside. They hit another bump in the road and Greg moaned, shutting his eyes once again.

"Yeah, you definitely have one."

"Just great," Greg mumbled, taking deep breaths and trying to will the pain away. "Have any idea...where we are?"

"None. All I remember was going into the house that we got called to. Nothing after that. You?"

Greg sluggishly shook his head. "Not really. Same as you, actually...well, I do remember one thing."

"What's that?" Morgan sighed as she scooted next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"The stench was coming from a dead pig...which means," Greg opened his eyes and looked down at the woman. "You own me a bill."

Morgan chuckled. "The second we get out of this I will give you your well earned benjamin."

They laughed but it was cut short when the car came to a screeching halt.

"That's not good," Greg murmured, glancing at Morgan before they both looked at the back door, breathing heavily. Doors slammed, footsteps crunched on the gravel and then seconds later, the back of the vehicle opened and the bright sun shone in, nearly making the two CSI's blind.

"Doyle, get the girl," a voice said and Greg perked up.

"No!" He put himself in front of the younger woman. "Leave her alone!"

"Greg-" Morgan whispered. She was flattered Greg was protecting her, but he was already injured and these two guys were big and looked like the meant business.

"Well, well, well. The tough guy's awake. I was beginning to think I might've put ya' in a coma since I hit you so hard." One of the men laughed heartily. "Now come on. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

Greg didn't move, he just glared daggers at the bald man in front of him.

"Nothing? Okay, the hard way it is."

In a swift movement, Walker grabbed Greg by the ankle and pulled him out of the van, letting him fall hard to the ground. Greg yelp when he felt his shoulder pop and he rolled onto his side, the wind being knocked out of him and his head pulsing. He blinked his eyes and looked up when he heard Morgan shouting; through his blurry vision, he saw the man, known as Doyle, grab Morgan by the waist and start to take her away even though she was kicking and screaming.

"M-Morgan!" He suddenly was picked up by the arm and he gasped in pain. But he had to save Morgan. He couldn't let her get hurt. He elbowed his attacker in the nose and tried to make a run for it, but he was too dizzy and Walker punched him to the ground.

"You little runt!" He began kicking Greg in the ribs with his steel-toed boot. "You *_kick* _just made *_kick* _a huge *_kick*_ mistake *_kick_* boy!"

"No! Stop! Please, stop!" Morgan cried as she struggled in Doyle's grip and watched in horror as the other man kicked Greg to death. "Stop, you're killing him!"

Greg couldn't get a breath in and he felt his ribs cracking and his lungs tightening. He was going to die. This is how he was going out and then Morgan would be all alone with these bastards.

"P-Ple..." he wheezed.

It finally stopped and he began coughing violently, tasting something metallic on his tongue. Blood...shit.

"You're right. I don't wanna kill you. Not yet anyways. I've got something better in store for the two of you anyways," Walker sneered. "Get up."

But Greg remained coughing, trying to get his breath back, yet it seemed nearly impossible.

"I said get up, boy!"

Greg tried, but he was too weak. Walker grew impatient and grabbed Greg by the collar, dragging him the rest of the way. Greg closed his eyes, choking from his shirt pressing against his throat. He vaguely heard Morgan crying, calling his name and he wanted to return the shouts, but he was just too weak. He was always weak. Morgan didn't deserve a guy like him. He must've blacked out, because the next thing he knew he was in a small, cement, musty room and his ankle was being shackled to the wall.

"We'll be back," he heard Walker's voice said. "Don't go anywhere." The two guys began laughing at their joke before he heard a heavy door slam shut and lock.

"Greg? Greg can hear me? Please say something."

He felt warm hands on his cold face, turning his head, but he didn't want to open his eyes.

Morgan's heart hurt when she saw Greg getting kicked and knowing well enough he wouldn't be able to breathe. When Walker had finished, she and Greg had been taken into a disgusting basement and chained to the walls, thankfully not to far from each other. When the two guys left, she crawled over to the barely conscious man. "Greg, please." she cried. He was still wheezing pretty badly and it made Morgan wonder how badly injured he was.

Finally, the man's brown- glassy- slid open and looked at her. "Mor...Morgan?"

"Yeah...right here, Greg," she grinned, putting Greg's head in her lap and stroking his hair, trying to calm him down. "Take deep breaths, okay. Who knows how badly that asshole really hurt you."

Greg coughed harshly and Morgan let a tear slip, hating the sound. "It's gonna be okay, Greg. Just breathe. I'll protect you."

"I should...be telling you...that," Greg said with a smile, losing his energy fast.

"Why?" Morgan chuckled. "Because you're they guy and I'm the girl?"

The corner of Greg's mouth flicked upwards, his eyes closing.

"N-No."

"I'm fine, Greg. You're the one who's hurt. Besides...we both have to take a turn protecting each other. But you know...you were stupid for intimidating that guy. You could've...you could've gotten yourself killed. I don't know what I would've done." Just the thought made her shake, her voice choking.

"Hey...d-don't...don't cry," Greg whispered. He wished he could hold her hand. To let her know they would be okay. But he needed to sleep...just for a few minutes. "I'll be okay. We'll both be fine. And I'll always sacrifice myself for you, M." His voice was getting softer as he drifted off, resting his head in the crook of Morgan's arm.

"Why? Why do you have to do that?" Morgan said angrily.

"Gotta...p-protect you...I l-love..." but his head became limp and Morgan freaked out.

"Greg? Greg! Come on, please wake up." But he was out. The good thing is that he was still breathing. She sighed, wiping her already sweaty face with the back of her hand before her hands went back to Greg's face, stroking it gently. The binds wouldn't be able to stop her from comforting the man. "We're gonna be okay, Greg." _Please let us be okay._

She just prayed...God, she prayed that Russell would find them before it was too late.

**A/N: So? How do you like it so far? I already have a whole outline so hopefully I can get a chapter up every couple of days. REVIEWS! And stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

><p>Russell sighed as he put the phone back on the receiver. Neither Greg or Morgan had been answering their phones for the past twenty minutes. At first he assumed they were just busy at the scene, but then back-up called and said they were just heading out, because there was a problem at the station. Which mean the two didn't have protection while working the crime scene...which was not a good thing. He picked up the phone again, dialing Greg's number. But of course it went to voicemail.<p>

"Greg, when you get this, call me back." However, he had a feeling the kid wouldn't. He pinched the bridge of his nose and got up, heading to Archie's lab to get a trace on Greg's Denali. Something was wrong; he could feel it in his gut.

"Hey, Archie," he said, patting the man's back.

"Hey Boss, whatcha need?"

"I need you to track Greg's Denali."

"Sure." The tech began typing. "Is something wrong?"

Russell leaned over, staring at the screen impatiently. "I don't know yet," he muttered.

A minute later, the computer blipped, showing the car's location. "It says they're at 1164 Rickenbacker Rd in North Las Vegas...isn't that the crime scene they were called out to?"

"Yeah," Russell sighed. "Two hours ago." He thanked the man and quickly left the room. Why couldn't he shake the feeling that something was up? He stopped by the locker room, seeing Nick getting ready to head home.

"Nick, change of plans-"

"Aw, D.B. I have plans." Nick wasn't much of a whiner about overtime, but he was exhausted and he was going on a date later.

"I don't care; cancel them, we may have a problem."

Nick frowned. "What are you talking about? This about McKeen?" He got up and followed Russell out of the building.

"No...I don't know...it's Greg and Morgan."

Now this worried the Texan. Anything that had to do with Greg and Morgan- two people he cared very much about- was not a good thing. _Unless they were getting together._ But Russell wouldn't be worried about that, right? In fact, the older man was all for it happening.

"D.B, what's going on?" He shouted as they got into the car and drove away.

"Brass," Russell said, ignoring Nick as he called the captain. "I need you to meet me at 1164 Rickenbacker Rd...yes, that's Morgan and Greg's crime scene that your people never showed up to...okay, see you there."

"Russell?" Nick was getting scared.

"I sent the two out on an anonymous call about a smell...and that was two hours ago. Now...neither of them will answer their phones, but the Denali is still there."

"And you think...you think something happened to them?" Nick was growing angry; if anyone laid a hand on his two younger siblings, someone was gonna get a fist in the throat.

"I _know_ something happened to them," Russell breathed nervously.

Twenty minutes later, they stopped at the house and immediately knew something had happened. The Denali was still there and the door to the building was open. Russell and Nick looked at each other before grabbing their guns and approaching the place carefully.

"Greg!?" Russell shouted as the stepped into the quiet, disgusting place. "Morgan!"

Silence. Such eerie silence.

"Greg!" Nick yelled, pulling out his flashlight and slowly walking through the building. When he got into the kitchen, he covered his nose. "Russ, I think I found the source of the smell! And Greg's kit." _Not good._

The white haired man came up behind him and sighed, staring at the dead pig. "I'm beginning to think that the call was a lure, don't you?"

"Yeah," Nick breathed as he left to go check the rooms. And when he he saw the other kit in the doorway, he knew he reached the right spot. When he got into the empty room, he let out a shaky breath.

"Oh god. R-Russell."

"What is it?" The man quickly walked up to him and upon looking into the room he shook his head. "Great."

There was a pool of blood on the floor along with two flashlights that were still on and a bloody bat. And they knew better not to assume that it wasn't from one of their CSI's.

"This isn't good," Nick said. His best friends...his little brother and sister were in trouble.

They heard running footsteps behind them and turned to see Brass. "What's going on?"

"Greg and Morgan...they've been kidnapped."

~+CSI+~

"Greg, how are we gonna get out of this?" Morgan said, rubbing the man's arm. He had woken up ten minutes ago, threw up from the nausea the concussion gave him and now was figuring out how to get away from their captors. In Morgan's view, he shouldn't be doing anything extensive that could hurt him internally.

"I'll figure out a way, M. Just give me a minute to think." Everything hurt and he just wanted to pass out, but there was no way in hell that he was leaving Morgan alone in all of this. He had to be strong even though inside he felt completely vulnerable...weak. "Trust me."

Morgan smiled. "I do, Greg."

The older CSI smiled back, but it instantly fell when he heard the door unlock and open with a loud, long squeak. "Get behind me."

The door swung open and the two men walked in, their face stone-cold. "Good afternoon you two. I assume you've enjoyed your stay so far?" Walker smirked.

Greg clenched his jaw, wanting to rip this guy's head off.

"No? That's too bad."

"Who are you...what the hell do you want from us?" Greg growled.

"Oh that's right, I haven't told you yet." Walker grabbed the wooden chair that was by the door and spun it around before sitting on it backwards. "So, you wanna know why you're here? You two are here, because there is an innocent man in jail."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Seriously? And you think we have the power to get him out...especially when we're all tied up? Wow, you really thought this plan through." _Why he was feeling smug, he didn't know._

Walker ground his teeth before looking at Doyle and nodding his head. Before Greg knew it, Doyle clocked him in the jaw, sending him to the floor gasping in pain.

"Greg!" Morgan cried out.

"Watch your mouth, boy, or there will be more where that came from. And next time he might not be so gentle."

Greg held his pulsing face and glared up at Walker.

"Now, as I was saying our older brother is in jail, because you guys put him away on false evidence."

"It's not false. The evidence doesn't lie," Greg blurted out.

"If you don't stop with your cocky attitude, you'll wish you were never born," Doyle growled.

Greg laughed humorlessly. "Oh yeah? At least I have a mind of my instead of being bossed around by a loser." Once again, he had no idea where this was coming from. Doyle strode over and instead of another punch, he wrapped one meaty hand around Greg's neck, slamming him against the wall and squeezing his throat. Greg gasped from the lack off air, his eyes growing wide. He could hear Morgan crying beside him. Just as his eyes were rolling to the back of his head, he heard Walker shout.

"Doyle! That's enough. Little bastard is just trying to stall us."

Doyle sneered and let go of Greg, the blonde dropping back to ground and taking in as much oxygen as possible. It was true. He was stalling; he was trying to keep the focus away from Morgan and he was trying to use up as much time as possible to give the team.

"Alright, let's just make this quick, no more interruptions," Walker began. "Our brother's in jail. You have evidence that implicates him and we want you to destroy it."

"How? You kidnapped us," Morgan seethed, pissed at the guys for nearly killing Greg.

"Good question. You're gonna call your team, tell them the situation and then tell them the cost of getting you guys back...alive that is."

"And if we don't?" Morgan added. Greg was still out of breath which was good. Him not talking meant they wouldn't hurt him anymore.

"I'll torture you both...one on one until I get the things that I need. So...what do you say, beautiful?" Walker grinned widely, his yellow teeth out in the open. He got up out of the chair and went over to the younger CSI, stroking strands of her hair back. She shied away in disgust and shivered when his grimy fingers ran down her arm.

"Don't...fucking...touch her, you bastard," Greg yelled protectively, still gasping for air.

Walker just ignored him. "Need an answer, sweetheart."

Morgan looked at the man angrily before doing something stupid. Spitting in the guy's face. "Never in a thousand years."

Walker closed his eyes and wiped the saliva away. "Wrong move, missy." He unlocked her shackle and roughly man-handled her into his grip.

"No!" Greg cried. "Stop! Leave her alone!" But they were already out the door, shutting it and locking it once again. "Morgan!"

* * *

><p>Nick rubbed his face tiredly as he hunched over the light table in the observation room. Greg and Morgan had been missing for nearly seven hours now and the longer it took to find them, the worse it became. And knowing Greg, he was protective over Morgan so that meant he might sacrifice himself for her.<p>

"Come on G, where are you guys?"

Russell walked in along with Sara. "Alright, what've we got so far?"

Nick took a shaky breath.

"We're gonna find them Nicky. I promise, we're gonna find them."

The Texan nodded and began. "There wasn't any print's on the bat so they must've been wearing gloves. The pool of blood was...it was Greg's as well on the blood on the bat."

"Okay, so it's safe to assume Greg is probably injured." Russell just pursed his lips.

"God," Nick closed his eyes. "It was a lotta blood, D.B."

"I know, Nick, I know. Let's just focus, okay? Now what else?"

"Well, we got the dead pig," Sara added.

"Mmhm, David and Henry are processing that now. Hopefully there will be something on it."

The two others nodded and then they stood in silence. Russell sighed sadly.

"Look, I know this is gonna be hard, especially since we don't really have much to go on right now...but we gotta keep our head's on straight and do what we do best and we will find them. Those two are strong; they got each other and you know Greg, he's very protective over her. He won't let anything bad happen."

"Yeah, but what about him? How long is he gonna protect her until he's fighting for his own life?" Nick said. "I know the kid like a book, Greg will get himself killed before he lets someone touch Morgan."

"Then we better get moving if we don't have much time. Sara go check on the progress with the pig. Nick, go see what Archie has on the anonymous caller."

Nick inhaled deeply and nodded before leaving the room, Sara doing so as well. When the two left, Russell scrubbed his face and looked at the pictures on the board. Nick was right, that was a lot of blood and if he was correct, the bat was used to knock the two CSI's or maybe just Greg.

"Just hang on, guys. We're comin' for you...wherever you are."

~+CSI+~

"So...I never caught your name sweetheart," Walker grinned as he paced in front of Morgan who was currently bound to a chair.

"Go to hell," Morgan hissed, pulling at the restraints. Her hands had been retied behind her back so she couldn't do much.

"Ooh, feisty little one, huh? Well, I guess we can skip the introductions since I'm sure you want this all to be over. By the way, your boyfriend...is he always this cocky?"

"What the hell do you want from us?"

"I already told you, I need you to call your buddies down at the lab and tell them to destroy the evidence that holds my brother in jail. Then, in order to save both of your lives, they will have to send a video to your phone," he took something out of his pocket and showed it to her. Her cellphone. "And show the correct things being destroyed."

"You think I'm that stupid? You think any of us are that stupid? They could easily trick you."  
>"But they won't, you know why? Because you and your boyfriend's life hang in the balance."<p>

"We don't negotiate with assholes."

"Oh come on, don't be like that, pretty." He ran his fingers down Morgan's face and when he got near her mouth, the blonde lashed out and bit down on his middle finger. Walker snatched his hand back with a pained shout. "Bitch!" He slapped her on the face angrily. "I guess there's only one way to get you to break."

Morgan breathed heavily, her eyes misty and her cheek burning.

"And the way to break you is to actually _break_ you." Walker went behind the chair, lifted up Morgan's arms backwards and brought his elbows down on one of hers. Her left arm snapped loudly and Morgan let out an anguished cry before bending forward, her body shivering as the pain shot through her entire body.

"Ready to talk now?"

Morgan looked up at the disgusting man, tears trailing down her pale face.

"No."

"Wow, I honestly thought you would be the first to give in. Well, this is only just the beginning, little girl," Walker growled, putting his hands on the arms of the chair and getting into the CSI's face, his cigarette scented breathe making Morgan gag. "We are just getting started."

Fifteen minutes later, Morgan was shoved back into the room, shivering yet trying hard not to cry. Greg was antsy and the second he saw Morgan, he grew angry.

"You asshole! What the hell did you do to her?" He stood up, trying to get at the man, but falling back down when the chain tightened and caused him to lose his balance. "What did you do?!"

"Geez, calm down," Walker smirked as Doyle chained the woman back up. "We only had a little talk. I might've gotten carried away, but she's fine. We'll be back soon, though, so don't relax just yet." When they finally left, Greg crawled over to Morgan.

She was cold and pain radiated through her arm. Thankfully the other kidnapper, Doyle, had been kind enough to tie her hands back up in the front so her arm wouldn't hurt as much. After Walker broke her arm, he took out a knife and started cutting her. Not deeply, but deep enough to inflict immense pain. He had finally given up when she still refused to talk. Unfortunately, he promised to try again later.

"Morgan...are you okay?" He noticed the way her arm was bent and he shook his head. "Bastard. When we get out of this, I'm gonna kill him."

Morgan sniffed, tears still coming out of her blue eyes. "He's gonna come back Greg. He's gonna keep doing it until I give him an answer. I don't know if I can deal with it again."

Greg pursed his lips sadly, wishing he could hold the woman, he had a crush on for so long, in his arms to comfort her. "It'll be okay. I won't let them hurt you."

"What if they take you?"

"Then so be it," Greg replied quickly. "I'm not gonna let them do anything to you anymore, okay? I promise. I'm gonna be fine."

"What if they...Greg they'll kill you."

The older man exhaled through his nose. "And I'm just...I'm just gonna have to accept that. I can stall them long enough for the team to find out where we are...and then you'll be safe."

Morgan's chin quivered. "Greg, I can't lose you," She sobbed. She loved him.

"And I can't lose you. Look at what they did to you already; you have a broken arm and they...they cut you. The next time...I guarantee it'll be worse. I don't wanna have you go through that again. I know you're strong. You're the bravest girl I've ever met, that's why I know you can survive this."

"G-Greg." She just wanted to kiss him. He was sacrificing his life for hers and as much as she appreciated it, she didn't want him to die. She hadn't even told him her feelings. She knows- like everyone else in the lab- that Greg had a crush on her. She thought it was sweet and throughout the year, her feelings for him were growing as well. If she lost him...she just didn't know what she would do.

"It'll be okay, Morgan," Greg smiled sadly, but assuringly. "I'll be okay. Just trust me on it."

The blonde was hesitant but she nodded.

"And Morgan...if anything happens," he looked down at the ground for a second before looking back up. "I've been wanting to tell you that-"

But he was suddenly cut off when the door opened and Doyle stepped inside, heading towards Morgan.

"Time to go, lovely."

"No! Take me instead!" Greg shouted, trying to block Doyle from grabbing Morgan. But the man just ignored him, getting ready to push him away. He had to make the guy mad. Without really thinking he spit in Doyle's eye. The man flinched and growled.

"Okay you little bastard. You've gotten your wish. I hope you're ready for the worst day of your life." He unlocked the shackle and grabbed Greg by his hair, dragging him out of the room violently.

"Greg!" Morgan cried. "Greg, no!"

They shared a prolonged eye contact, tears in both of their fear filled eyes, before Greg was taken out of the room, the door being slammed shut once more. And Morgan was left wondering if it would be the last time she'd see his beautiful brown eyes. She sniffed, blood running from her busted lip. Why did Greg have to be so selfless? She didn't want to-

_"Ahhhh!"_

Morgan looked up with a gasp. Did Greg just scream?

_"Stop! Please!"_

"Oh god. No."

_"Arggghh!"_

Morgan began crying at the sound of Greg's tortured screams. Whatever they were doing to him in there...it should be happening to her. Greg sobbed loudly after his scream and Morgan bowed her head, covering her ears. She was unable to hear the man she loved getting tortured. "I'm so sorry, Greg. I'm sorry." She wondered if they would ever make it out of there alive...and something was telling her that they just might not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>Walker circled Greg calmly, watching the bloodied and beaten CSI with a smirk on his face. Greg was heaving shakily, gagged with a rag tied around his head. He could do nothing but glare holes into the man that hurt Morgan. He tried to keep the tears at bay, not wanting to give Walker the satisfaction that he was in so much fucking pain. The second Doyle bound him to the chair, Walker didn't hesitate and went to town, punching him relentlessly. His face and body were, no doubt, bruised and his vision was blurry. He just wanted to pass out...but Walker wouldn't let him.<p>

"You made a mistake switching places with your girlfriend, boy," Walker said, standing behind Greg and slapping his hands onto the kid's shoulders causing the blonde to flinch. "Because I would've been gentle with her...but with you...with you I can be as rough as I want." He leaned forward and whispered into Greg's ear. "I might even _kill_ you." He chuckled lowly before standing up straight and pulling the gag down. "Wanna talk yet?"

"Fuck...y-you," Greg stuttered.

"Shame. I was hoping you would say yes." he waved to Doyle and the man disappeared for a moment before returning with a hose and a black towel. Greg looked at them with wide, fear filled eyes; he had a feeling he knew what was coming. "Because now I'm gonna have to do this."

"W-What are you doing?" Greg shivered.

"I really didn't want to have to do this to you, Greg...but then again, maybe I did." Walker took the cloth from his brother and roughly cloaked it over Greg's face as the kid struggled to get it off...fighting for his life. Walker, then, took out a roll of duck-tape and wrapped it around the man's chest, tightly binding him to the chair until Greg found it impossible to move. Greg had no idea what was going on; he couldn't see, his breathing was restricted and he could only hear the sound of running water behind him. His hair was suddenly grabbed from behind and his head was wrenched back, straining his neck.

"Now, I'm gonna ask you one last time, boy," Walker growled into Greg's ear. "Do you. Have Anything. To say?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"Alrighty, I gave you a chance. Do it Doyle."

The other man nodded and lifted the hose, putting it over Greg's clothed face and letting the water spill over him. Immediately, Greg started choking and his legs flailed, his nails digging into his palms. They were fucking water-boarding him! He couldn't breathe, they were drowning him. Just as he thought he was a goner, the water stopped and the cloth was pulled down so he could breathe again. He blinked the water out of his blurry eyes, gasping for air and coughing the water out of his lungs. His head was pushed forward and Walker was suddenly in his vision.

"Are you ready to talk now!?"

"N-Never," Greg gasped.

"Wrong answer." The cloth was put back over his face and they did it again. Each time Walker would stop, he would ask if Greg would like to give up and each time his answer would be no, no matter how weak he was getting. And every time they drowned him, the closer they brought him to the point of death. He could no longer move his legs, his muscles too tired and soon enough his lungs would be too tired to fight. He was fading...fast.

"Alright...I think that's enough. We're gonna have to move onto something else. He's not breaking yet."

The cloth was pulled away and Greg bent forward gasping and coughing, tears running down his face. They were killing him and they didn't care. But he was glad they were doing this to him. That meant they weren't doing it to Morgan.

"Wow, I guess I underestimated you," Walker grinned, enjoying watching his victim struggle to breathe. "I thought for sure that would break you. Well don't worry, we got plenty of other things in store for you. We've only just begun." He slapped Greg on the chest before leaving with Doyle to get more things. When they were gone, Greg bowed his head, breaking down into heart-wracking sobs. These guys were gonna stop at nothing to get what they wanted...even if they end up killing him. He wanted so bad just to give in, but he couldn't. He couldn't let his team down and he couldn't let Morgan down. If she didn't break, he couldn't either...no matter how weak and worthless he felt right now. He knew that once he gave them what they wanted, _both_ he and Morgan would be dead. He sat there for a good five minutes before he heard the two coming back and he sniffed, trying to look like he didn't cry just now. Walker would never let him live it down if he knew. And when the door opened and he looked up, he groaned after he saw what Walker had in his hands. A cattle prod.

"See this?" Walker smiled. "This is cattle prod with 100,000 volts. If you don't give me what I need, you're gonna be in a world of hurt."

Doyle came up behind Greg and dumped a huge bucket of cold water on him before Walker turned on the prod and stabbed it into Greg's soaking wet skin. The blonde tensed up, feeling almost paralyzed, his body quivering and his heart speeding up, feeling like he was being smacked in the chest with a two by four. He felt like he was so close to dying. Every inch of his skin crawled and burned; it felt as though his blood was boiling and his veins were about to explode through his body. He screamed in agony once he could find his breath again and he prayed that Morgan couldn't hear him.

When Walker took the prod away, Greg went slack and let out a cry, his limbs twitching and a numbness overcoming his body.

"Do you like that!?" Walker shouted. "Are you gonna give up now?"

"N-No. O-Over...m-my...d-dead...bod-body!"

"Okay, your wish is my command." And for the next seven minutes, Greg was electrocuted twelve times until it got to the point where his heart was about to leap out of his chest and his muscles felt like they were on fire.

"P-Please," he sobbed. "Pl-please...s-s-stop."

"I will only if you comply with me," Walker said, grabbing Greg's face in his hand. "I wanna stop, kid. You think I enjoy hurting you?" But Greg knew he was joking. He definitely enjoyed it

Greg cried, closing his eyes. He was weak. Why did he have to be so fucking weak?

"Well? What's it gonna be?"

Greg just shook his head, his chest too tight to speak.

"Okay," Walker shrugged, throwing the prod on the ground and seeing Greg relax. "Oh, don't think we're finished just yet. I wanna try a couple more things." He grabbed a large knife from the table next to him and brandished it in his hands. "Do you know how much pressure it takes to break through the human skin?"

"I d-do...but d-do you? H-How sm-smart are you...r-really? I m-mean not sm-smart enough...s-since you kid-kidnapped two...officers."

Walker just ignored the snarky comment. "When the pressure is applied gently to the skin, it takes around four pounds."

"W-Wow...did you...f-figure that out a-all by y-yourself?" He had no idea where this cockiness was coming from and why, but he knew he should stop before he made the guy mad.

Walker glared at him, clenching his teeth. "But when the blade moves at at a greater speed," before Greg had time to react, Walker thrust the knife into his side. Greg's breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide with shock. The bastard just stabbed him!

The blade was removed and Greg looked down at his stomach to see blood spilling out of the wound.

"Shoot. Must've hit something vital. I wonder how long it'll take you to bleed out," Walker said with a smirk.

Greg's stomach rose and fell and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

"Ah, ah, ah." He felt his face being slapped and he reopened his eyes to slits. He just wanted to pass out. "No sleeping. Have you ever wondered what it was like to get stabbed in the hand? My older brother got stabbed there while in jail a couple weeks back. Maybe you should endure that pain, too."

"God, no."

"Oh yes." He swiftly cut the rope binding his wrists together, knowing well enough that the kid wouldn't be able to even stand up. He roughly grabbed his hand and slammed it on the arm of the chair, held his wrist down and plunged the knife into Greg's left hand, seeing it go all the way through and come out on the bottom. Greg never screamed so loud in his entire life. He couldn't move, he was losing so much blood and still reeling from the electric shocks. When his voice gave out, his vision tunneled and his head lolled on the back of the chair.

"I guess that'll be enough for now," Walker said as he stood in his fading eyesight. "Doyle, get him out of here; it's almost nine pm. We'll try again after dinner, I'm starved!" He cackled as he left Doyle to bring Greg back. He was carelessly dragged to the room, hearing distant cries from a woman. He felt himself fall and then hands on his face. He flinched at first, thinking it was Walker again, but this time they were soft and warm. _Morgan._

His screams nearly killed her. They were tortured and she didn't want to know what they were doing to him. Morgan shivered when the screams turned to sobs of agony.

"Oh Greg...I'm so sorry," she whispered. After another five minutes, the scream started up again for, what seemed like, another hour until they finally stopped. And Morgan couldn't tell tell if that was a good or bad thing. She held her breath, listening for anything and then finally the door squeaked open and Doyle dragged Greg- or someone that looked like Greg- into the room, throwing him on the floor before leaving them alone.

"O-Oh...Oh, my god," Morgan choked. "Greg!" She scooted over to the man and lifted his limp head into her lap. "Oh god. What did he do to you?" She was disgusted with what she saw. Greg was soaking wet to the bone, shivering and twitching and grunting in pain. Blood coated his torn up shirt and when she pulled it back she could see the stab wound, expanding and retracting with Greg's heavy breathing. There were burn marks all over his chest and so many cuts and bruises, she couldn't even see his tan skin. When she looked at his hand, it was trembling and stuck in an arched position. She gasped. It was completely bloodied on both sides and under all of it, she could see a huge hole...and she knew it went through his entire hand. His lips had a bluish tint to it and his eyes were glazed over, flicking around the room fearfully. All in all, he had been through hell.

"Greg," she sniffed, grabbing his face and gently turning it towards her.

He was wheezing badly and he wouldn't look her in the eye. "Greg, please...please look at me."

It took a few minutes of coaxing, but he glanced up and coughed wetly. "M-Mor-Morgan."

"Greg...w-what...what did they do to you? God, they should've taken-"

"No! You don't deserve...t-that."

"A-And you did? Greg, they stabbed you!"

Greg gulped, not wanting to relive the last hour and a half. He blinked his eyes a few times to focus and looked around...more so away from Morgan's gaze. He didn't want her to see him like this. And then he noticed something even past his pounding head and burning body. He looked back up at Morgan and smiled as much as he could with his tender face.

The blonde frowned. "Greg, what is it?"

Greg coughed again, tasting and feeling a lot more blood than before. He turned his head to the side and spit it out, hoping Morgan didn't see. But he knew she wasn't that oblivious.

"D-Dumb...ass for-forgot to tie me...b-back...back up."

Morgan's eyes widened as she looked at Greg's hands and feet. He was right. She smiled broadly and looked back to him, his eyes bright with fever, but more so excitement.

"You got a plan?" She asked.

He nodded weakly. "You wouldn't happen to have a bobby pin, would you?"

Morgan pulled the clip out of her tussled hair. "Way ahead of you."

~+CSI+~

Nick rubbed his eyes tiredly as he looked at the picture of Greg's blood; it still made him shiver...sick to his stomach. That was Greg's...his little brother's blood.

"What did they do with you guys?" He whispered, leaning over the table. He prayed to God that Greg wasn't too badly hurt, but he had a bad feeling in his stomach- call it a brother's intuition- that it wouldn't be the case when they found them. Because they _would_ find them and when he got his hands on the guys that did this, he was gonna kill them. Nick looked at his watch. It was almost a day and a half that his siblings went missing and they were still waiting on the print they had, luckily, found on the pig. Why it was taking so long, he had no-

"Nick! Nick!"

The Texan looked up and saw Henry running into the light room. He looked excited. "What? What is it?"

"The prints on the pig. Sara found some unknown one on Morgan's gun and I compared them. They have common alleles with someone in jail."

"Hang on, lemme call Russell and the others." Five minutes later, they were all gathered around the table and Henry gave Nick the paper. "Jason Garcia? So who are the common alleles?"

"I did some research," Sara said, pulling papers out of a folder. "Doyle and Walker Garcia. Jason was charged with kidnapping and murder of his girlfriend."

"I guess kidnapping people runs in the family," Nick said angrily.

"And so does murder," Russell added. "But we're not gonna let that happen, are we? So do we have addresses? Phone numbers?"

"No known phone numbers," Sara read. "But each brother has their own place."

"They could be at anyone of those places," Nick said impatiently. "We don't have the time. And what if we're wrong?"

Russell and Sara sighed before the brunette got a phone call. "Really? Where? Okay, thanks Archie." When she hung up, Nick gave her a raised eyebrow.

"What was that?"

"Archie found another place registered under Jason's name. It's a cabin in the forest outside of Moapa Valley,"

Russell nodded. "That seems like a more likely place to hide someone don't you think?"

"Okay, then let's go," Nick eagerly started to head out.

"Now wait a minute," Russell stopped him. "We need backup; it's dark out and the Garcia brother's have an advantage of knowing the valley more than we do...and we don't know what exactly they are capable of. Call Brass and get the SWAT team with us. And we're gonna need a helicopter."

Nick nodded and rushed out the door.

Russell glanced at Sara before they followed. "Let's go get our family back."

* * *

><p>They were barely gone three minutes when Morgan and Greg heard gunshots and angry shouts coming from the cabin. Despite their injuries, Greg had managed to unlocked the shackle around Morgan's ankle and help untie the binds around her wrists. The door had still been locked but they noticed a small window that they could reach with the chair Walker so stupidly left in there with them. Greg had gone first, insisting that he was gonna be fine even though every single movement nearly killed him. And then he grabbed Morgan's uninjured arm and helped her out of the window before they quietly started making their way from the cabin. They had no idea where they were going, but they prayed it was the right way to some sort of civilization. It wasn't long before the kidnappers found out they had escaped...when Greg and Morgan heard the gunshots, they gasped fearfully before the blonde gently dragged Greg fast down the hill, dodging rocks and trees.<p>

He couldn't breathe and the running was making it worse; his chest was tight, his body ached and he was dangerously close to falling unconscious. He must've blacked out at some point because when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was on the ground and Morgan was crying, trying to get him back up. But he couldn't...his legs didn't seem to want to work and neither did his lungs.

"Greg! Greg breathe!" Morgan shouted, helping him sit against a tree trunk with one arm. "Greg!" His lips were turning blue and, as much as it pained her to hurt him, she slapped his chest, trying the clear up whatever was keeping the oxygen away. A few seconds later, Greg took in a deep breath and leaned his head back closing his eyes. He just couldn't do this anymore. They heard another gunshot...closer this time and the two CSI's jumped.

"Greg, come on," Morgan said, tugging on his sleeve. "Come on, we gotta go, please."

"N-No...you gotta...you gotta go w-without m-me. I can't...I-"

"You can Greg," Morgan encouraged. "Please."

"M'sorry...t-too weak...m'weak."

"No...no you aren't Greg," Morgan smiled, cupping his face and getting him to look her in the eyes. "You're so brave. You got...tortured for me. I wish it hadn't been you, but you did it for me and I'll be forever grateful. Please, we gotta keep going because you know how pissed they'll be if they get us. They might not be so forgiving."

"T-That's why you...you gotta go. I'll stall them...y-you g-get help-"

"Greg, they'll kill you!"

"I'm dragging you down!" Greg cried, grasping her fingers with his uninjured hand and looking straight at her.

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you; I'll never forgive myself if I lose you."

"And I can't lose you," the blonde sniffed, his body shivering in pain. "Morgan, I love you...and m'not...m'not gonna let y-you...get killed...be-because of...m-me."

Morgan was a little stunned at what Greg said. He loved her? She couldn't even find the words to say anything else. When the shock finally passed, she searched his eyes before unable to hold back anymore. She planted her lips on his for a few seconds, ignoring the blood taste, and when she pulled back, Greg looked at her in surprise.

"M-Mor-"

"I'm not leaving you Greg Sanders. I-"

Another shot rang out...even closer. "Come out, come out where ever you are!" Walker's voice echoed in the air.

"Come on, let's get out of here." She helped Greg up and they limped some more down the treacherous hill, Greg trembling and sweating at the same time. Morgan's arm was killing her, but Greg was in much more pain then she was. The condition that he was in now could possibly kill him. Finally, they saw a clearing in the trees and the bright light of the moon. They were almost out...they were almost-

But when they reached the end, all they saw was an open field. And across that open field were more trees. "Dammit," Morgan hissed. Greg choked and his knees went weak. He didn't know if he could go any further. "Just hang on, Greg," she said, keeping a tighter hold on his waist.

"W-What...what are we gonna do?" Greg wheezed.

"How 'bout come back with us?"

The two gasped and turned around to see Doyle and Walker coming towards them, guns raised.

"You guys are sneaky, but obviously not good enough. Now I guess this whole thing has been a complete waste of time." Walker pointed his gun at Morgan. "So I'm just gonna have to kill you both."

"NO!" Greg said, getting some energy back. "J-Just take m-me. L-Let her...let her g-go."

"That's not how it works, boy-o." He cocked the gun and pointed it at Greg's forehead. "But I guess you're going-"

All of a sudden, a flurry of sirens and the blades of a helicopter cutting through the silent air distracted them. Morgan and Greg let out a relieved laugh when they saw Nick and Russell jump out of the helicopter as it landed and came running towards them, guns raised at their attackers. Other cops, from whatever town they were in, jumped out of their vehicles along with SWAT and did the same, their bright lights from the cars illuminating the field.

Walker clenched his jaw, angry that he didn't get to finish off his victims. Well, he wasn't going to jail; not like his brother. And if he was gonna die, he might as well bring someone down with him. While the two CSI's weren't paying attention, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Greg tightly around the neck, eliciting a yelp from the man. He dragged him back and put the gun to the blonde's head. Morgan spun around with a gasp, watching in horror as Greg was taken hostage. She could see the gun digging into Greg's skull and the fear present in his brown eyes. "Greg! No!"

"Walker and Doyle Garcia! Put the weapon down!" Russell shouted. When he had saw the two CSI's and he let out a breath, knowing that they were both alive. However, in the bright headlights, he could see that Greg was barely hanging on. And having an arm cutting off his air probably didn't help. "Now! And let him go!"

Doyle obliged but Walker didn't flinch.

"That's not happenin'! I go, he goes!"

Greg was unable to stay awake; he could no longer feel his body...he was so cold. Walker's grip around his neck was cutting off his air supply and it was getting more difficult to stand on his own. "P-Please...j-just let...let me g-go," he whimpered hoarsely.

"Shut up!" Walker shook him and pressed the gun harder into his pounding head. "You don't get to tell me what to do!"

"What about your brother? How would he feel about this?" Russell shouted again.

"My brother is in jail because of you guys! You put an innocent man in jail and that's why we're all here.!" He adjusted his grip, his finger gently pressing on the trigger.

"The second you pull that trigger, you'll be dead before you hit the ground," Nick growled.

Walker smiled; a smile that didn't make anyone feel good, a shiver running down their spines.

"And I guess that's a risk I'm gonna have to take." His finger pressed the trigger and the gun went off.

Morgan's adrenaline had been wearing off drastically as she watched Nick and Russell try to talk Walker down from shooting Greg. Tears slipped down her dirt and sweat covered face. Her vision faded in and out and sounds became muffled, time slowing down. All of a sudden, in a blur, someone shouted at her to get down before they grabbed her bad arm and pulled her to the ground. White hot pain flashed through her eyes and she knew that she couldn't hold onto consciousness. She heard an array of gunshots above her, causing her to flinch. She couldn't tell who had gotten hit- whether it had been Walker or Greg- but the last thing she saw was Greg fall to the ground before she passed out herself. And not knowing what happened to Greg was half the battle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Eek! What's gonna happen? Stay tuned! REVIEWS!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks everybody for the reviews so far. You guys are all amazing! **

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>The moment Nick heard the guns go off, Walker getting a shot to the forehead and then seeing Greg fall to the ground, his heart thudded to the ground, his entire body going cold. He didn't know what to think...and then when he saw the blood pouring from the side of the kid's head, he knew...<p>

"NO!" He ran as fast as his legs could take him until he slid to the ground next to his little brother, picking up his upper body into his lap. "Oh god...oh no. Greg! Get me a damn medic!" He started sobbing and placed his hand over the wound. The kid had been shot in the fucking head; his body was so limp, his head lolling and arms flopping. "Greg, please...please answer me!" But the blonde's eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing. "Greg!" There was so much blood and he couldn't staunch it all.

"Where is that fucking medic?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, burning his throat. He looked back down at his little brother and ran his fingers through the curly hair with the hand that wasn't currently trying to stop the young CSI from bleeding to death.

"You gotta make it, bud. You can't leave me. You made it out...you escaped so you can't fucking give up now. Please, God, Greg don't give up on me."

All of a sudden, Greg's body was taken from him by the paramedics and when he refused to move back, Russell put a hand on his shoulder and he reluctantly obliged. They both watched in fear as they plastered bandages on the bleeding wound and wrapped thick gauze around his head to keep it tight. They also tended to his other major wounds as well; when they removed Greg's shirt, Russell sighed and Nick swore. There was a stab wound on his side along with scattered bruises, burns and cuts. His hand looked like shit and they could tell that he had been stabbed there, too.

"God," Nick shuddered. Greg had been _tortured_ for whatever Walker and Doyle wanted. If Walker wasn't dead he would've put a round in him right now. Five minutes later, after the medics took care of the most life-threatening injuries first, they moved him onto the stretcher and then lifted it up into a gurney, wheeling him towards the awaiting medevac. Nick wasted no time following them, not wanting to lose sight of the kid in case...in case it would be the last time he ever saw him alive.

"Wait, Nick," Russell called out.

The Texan just turned around, staring at the white haired man with a 'just try and fucking stop me' look."

D.B sighed. "Keep me updated. I'll get Sara and go to the hospital when I can. I'm gonna go with Morgan in the ambulance, but then I'm going back to the lab to deal with Doyle."

Nick nodded and ran to catch up to the gurney. Seconds later, the helicopter took off from the ground, carrying a barely hanging on Greg. Russell watched anxiously, praying that he wouldn't be losing a valuable member of his team...his family.

~+CSI+~

"Jesus Christ, Greggo," Nick whispered as he looked over the CSI's battered body after the medics removed his shirt. He knew Greg was strong, but how did he survive this? He just wanted to wring his hands around Doyle- now that Walker was long gone.

"We have a male, 31 and barely stable bp 50 over palp, pulse is 48. Gunshot wound to the right mastoid, multiple contusions, possible internal damage, burns marks, and stab wound to the left abdomen and left hand. Little brain activity." The medic calmly said into the radio. "Have an emergency surgical team on standby and Dr. Pam Michaels." When he was finished, he shouted over the motor. "Get that I.V in!"

"Oh Greg," Nick whispered.

The medic put a stethoscope to Greg's bruised chest, listening intently to his almost nonexistent breathing. "Water in the lungs; possible pneumonia."

Water? Had they...had Greg been drowned? "What the hell did they do to you?" He grabbed the kid's cold, uninjured hand and squeezed it gently.

As the medics put the nasal cannula under Greg's nose, the CSI groaned weakly, his eyelids fluttering.

"Greg?" Nick sat forward. "Greg, can you hear me?"

However, when his lids opened, Nick could only see the whites of his eyes. He groaned again, but it came out more as a gurgle, blood dripped down the side of his mouth.

"Greg!"

And then that monotone that everyone had been dreading.

"He's flatlining!"

Nick bowed his head, feeing sick. "Oh god. Greg, come on buddy. Don't give up on me here."

"Kathy, start on CPR and I'll get the paddles ready."

Kathy nodded and leaned over Greg and Nick watched fearfully, still having a death grip on the kid's hand, as she started compressions and hearing the sickening crack of Greg's ribs. When she finished, she placed an ambu-bag over his mouth and began pumping oxygen into Greg's lungs.

"Anything?" Mark, the other medic questioned.

"Still no pulse."

"Alright, charging to 200. Sir, you're gonna have to let go of his hand."

It took a second for Nick to realize that Mark was talking to him and he unhappily let go of his little brother's hand, watching it fall limp to the side.

"Clear?" Mark shouted.

"Clear!"

The paddles were brought down on Greg's chest and Nick heard a thump, watching as the young CSI's body jerked.

"Nothing."

Nick choked, his heart was pounding and he nearly felt petrified.

Mark inhaled. "Again. Charge to 400."

"Clear!"

"Still nothing."

Mark glanced up to Nick with an expression of defeat. It really wasn't looking good. The Texan shivered as silent sobs wracked his frame. He couldn't lose his little brother. Not when they just found him. His blood was starting to run cold as he nodded to man. "Keep going."

"Alright. Again."

"Clear!"

Mark tried again and again and again, but the tone was still buzzing in their ears.

Kathy shook her head after Greg went down for the sixth time. "It's been nearly eight minutes," she said.

Nick frowned. Had it really? It only felt like two. Time must go by fast when your best friend is between life and death.

"Should we call it?"

Nick's rage shot up. "What!? No! Don't you dare stop, you can't give up!"

The medics looked at each other before Mark gave the woman a nod. "Start CPR again."

Kathy started compressions again and Nick swallowed thickly. "Greg! Come on, please don't do this. I can't lose you, buddy." He grabbed the man's hand again and brought Greg's fingers to his chin, his bottom lip quivering. "G-Greggo..."

Another two minutes went by and Kathy wiped the sweat from her forehead. They were getting nowhere. The kid was still dead. And then it came to her. She stuck out her hand towards Mark.

"Give me an amp of inter-cardiac epi!"

Mark's eyes widened and he quickly filled a syringe before passing it to Kathy. Nick watched in in silence as Kathy pressed two of her fingers over Greg's breast- right over his heart- before bringing the needle down and stabbed it into his chest. Not even seconds later, Greg inhaled hungrily, shooting up from the gurney, his eyes as wide as saucers. He slowly receded back down, eyes fluttering close and chest heaving

"He's back," Mark breathed in relief.

"Okay we're almost at the hospital; let's stabilize him..."

The rest of Kathy's words faded out as Nick let out a weak laugh. He looked at the steadily beeping heart monitor and then back down at Greg who was trying to get his breathing back to normal. "You're doing good, G. Just keep breathing. Don't quit now." He rubbed the blonde's hand with both of his, trying to warm it up a little. "Just keep breathing." Greg was okay...they got him back. But Nick gulped nervously. How long would that last? How much longer would it be until he lost his little brother again...for good this time?

* * *

><p>The second they touched the helipad, they were met by a doctor and a bunch of nurse's wheeling an empty transport stretcher towards them.<p>

"What do we got!?" Dr. Michaels shouted over the helicopter's loud blades as Greg was lifted and put onto the awaiting gurney.

"Gregory Sanders, 31! We tried to resuscitate him for ten minutes until we got him back! He's falling into hypotension and his heart rate is below 40! He's in critical condition and it's possible he might not make it!"

"Oh God," Nick's heart when he heard this. He jumped out of the helicopter, refusing to let go of Greg's hand. "Greg, just hang on, buddy, okay!?"

"Throat is inflamed," Dr. Michaels said as she shone a small penlight in Greg's mouth before placing an oxygen mask over his face. She lifted up his eyelids and Nick noticed that the whites of Greg's eyes were still existent. It scared him; he wondered if he'd ever see the kid's bright brown eyes again.

The doctor placed a hand on Greg's sweaty forehead as they stepped into the large elevator. "Definitely a fever from the infected wounds, probably about 103. We'll know more when we get him hooked up to the monitors."

"Blood pressure is dropping, doctor!"

"Give him a dose of midodrine," she said, looking at her watch. The kid was declining fast and she didn't want to be wasting any time.

Nick pursed his lips, breathing through his nose as he squatted down next to Greg's ear, stroking the man's knuckles with his thumb. "Hey. You listen to me, Greg and listen to me good. I know you can hear me. You gotta fight, kiddo. I love you like a brother and Morgan...she loves you man. You are so brave; the best CSI that has ever worked in this lab and without you...I don't know what I'd do. You have to push through this, Greg."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Nick stood up straight and continued to follow them down the hall. "It's gonna be okay, Greg. You're gonna be alright. Just hang in there, buddy. Fight for me and fight for Morgan. Don't let Walker win."

They reached the doors to the operation wing and one of the nurses stopped and kept Nick back, causing Greg's hand to slip from the Texan's. He looked over her, watching Greg being wheeled down the hall and disappearing around the corner.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this area is for personnel only."

"But-"

"Someone will come out with information shortly."

Before Nick could say another word, she followed the rest of the group down the hall, leaving him alone with his thoughts and fears. Tears brimmed his eyes as he let out a deep breath, one hand on his hip and the other running through his short spikes. Greg was gonna be okay...he just had to be.

Half an hour later, Russell, Ecklie and Sara burst into the emergency waiting room and searched the area for Nick, finding him sitting all the way in the back, his head resting on his knees. Ecklie went to the nurse's station, trying to get some information on his Morgan, who had been brought in ten minutes after Greg.

"Nick!" Sara exclaimed as they ran over...and when they saw him, they knew it had been a bad ride over. His face was sheet white and his eyes were red rimmed and haunted.

"What happened?" Russell questioned as he sat down next to the Texan, placing a hand on his back.

"It was really bad, D.B," Nick shuddered. His face was wet with tears and Russell wondered what the hell went on, on the helicopter. "He...He was dead for ten minutes...they almost...couldn't get him back and they were...they were about to call it. God...and his eyes. They've been rolled into the back of his head since we took off." He looked up at the older man, anguish on his features. "They said he might not make it, Russ. What if he doesn't make it?"

"He's gonna make it, kid. Greg's not a quitter, you know that. He'll fight to the death; you gotta believe that, okay?"

Nick swallowed and nodded. He was still feeling cold like ice water had been poured into his body. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to make the nausea pass.

"Nick, why don't you go clean up. I brought you some extra clothes I got from your locker," Sara said. The man looked horrible; his face was pale and when she cupped it, she didn't like how cold his skin was. "Nick?"

"Huh?" He glanced up, unsure of what she had told him.

"I said you should go clean up; you have...you have a lot of blood on your hands and clothes."

Nick frowned and stared down at his trembling hands. They were, indeed, covered in dried blood..._Greg's_ blood. And his clothes were no better. Suddenly, he felt bile creep up his throat and he bolted to the nearest trash can, puking out his guts. Greg had lost so much blood, had so many wounds and now, every time he closed his eyes, that's all he was going to see. Greg dying, Greg bleeding to death, Greg's tortured body no longer breathing. He felt someone rubbing his back and he stayed hunched over the can, sobbing.

"It'll be okay, Nicky," Russell comforted. "Everything will be okay." _Hopefully._

* * *

><p>"Family for Morgan Brody?"<p>

Ecklie stood up quickly and waved Morgan's doctor over. "I'm her father, is she okay?"

The team looked at the man eagerly, but Nick was barely listening; as much as he loved his surrogate little sister, he wanted to know about Greg's condition more than hers.

"I'm Dr. Kelvin," he said shaking hands with the sheriff. "Ms. Brody is going to be fine."

They all let out a relieved sigh.

"She obtained a moderate concussion and a displaced fracture of the elbow. She underwent surgery and we've managed to set it back and she'll have to wear a cast for at least four to six weeks. Other than that, she had some shallow cuts and bruises on her arms and neck, but nothing was infected. We're pumping her full of antibiotics and she's currently under anesthesia at the moment, but she should wake up within the half hour or so."

"Can I see her?" Ecklie asked tiredly. He had come back from a worker's retreat the other night- which meant no cellphones- only to hear the bad news that his daughter and Sanders had been kidnapped. Even though he was freaking out inside- and out- he knew Morgan would be safe because of Greg. He would do anything to keep her our of harm's way...maybe he should be more lenient about letting them date. If that even happens at all; he heard that the kid was in very bad shape and he knew that if he didn't make it, Morgan would be devastated.

"Of course. Right this way, sir."

"Wait!" Nick stopped them, shooting up from the chair. "W-What about...what about Greg Sanders?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not his doctor so I wouldn't be able to tell you, but I can find someone as soon as possible, if you'd like."

Nick nodded hastily. "Yes...please. Thank you."

With that, Dr. Kelvin nodded and led Ecklie down the hallway to Morgan's room. Sara followed and Russell was about to when he noticed Nick sat back down. "You comin'?"

"M-Maybe later. I need to know if Greg's okay."

Russell sighed. "Are _you_ gonna be okay?"

Nick rubbed his sore, red eyes. He had no more tears left. "No. I probably never will be even when Greg's back on his feet. Seeing him like that...on the helicopter and when he got shot down...it's something that's forever burned in my mind. That is something that no one could ever forget after they witness a thing like that. There was so much blood and then he wasn't breathing and-" he started to get worked up and Russell placed a hand on the Texan's shoulder.

"Hey. Nick calm down. He's safe now and he's in the best hands he could possibly be in. Once you see that he's okay and he's back to his old self, the memory will fade."

Nick took a deep breath and closed his eyes, rubbing the stubble that had appeared during the past few days. "You're right...he'll be okay."

"Alright. Do you want me to stay here?"

Nick gave the older man a weak smile and shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine."

Russell was skeptical, but the man was under a lot of stress right now and he wasn't gonna push him. "Okay. Give me a shout when you hear something."

He just nodded and watched as the supervisor went to catch up to Sara. When he was gone, Nick sagged and put his face in his hands as he recalled D.B's words._ "__He's safe now and he's in the best hands he could possibly be in. Once you see that he's okay and he's back to his old self, the memory will fade."_ He could hardly believe them. He wasn't in the best hands, for one. He wasn't in his big brother's hands. And two, Nick had a feeling that Greg would never be back to his old self...not completely anyways. Whatever happened in that cabin would probably traumatize both him and Morgan for life.

~+CSI+~

_Morgan opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling with a deep frown. She sat up and glanced around, realizing she was at the lab, lying on the couch in the break room. It was cold and the color of everything was a dreary gray._

_ "Hello?" Her voice echoed. She pushed herself up and hugged her body. "Nick? Russell?" Where was everybody? "G-Greg?" __She walked down the hallway, looking into each room to find that they were all empty. "Dad?" She was getting worried and scared. Something was wrong. Morgan turned the corner, going down to autopsy when she heard a deafening clang, causing her to jump. As she walked, she could only hear the sound of her harsh breathing and the hum of the ceiling lights. When she turned into the room, she gulped. There were the regular rows of metal slabs for Doc's cadavers, __all empty,__ but at the last one __she noticed__ someone was __occupying it, a white sheet covering the body. She let out a breath, it being so cold she could see it in the air. Morgan slowly walked over, hands trembling violently, afraid of what or who she might see. Her heart thudded against __her__ chest and it seemed to __beat loudly__ throughout the whole room. She reached out and carefully lifted the sheet back...and the second the blonde saw the person's face, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth and tears brimming her eyes._

_ "NO!" It was Greg. The man she loved was lying dead on a metal table. His face was sickly gray except for the dark bruises shadowing his face. She pulled the blanket down further and saw more bruises...and burns...and...__t__he stab wound in his side and hand. She went around to the other side and her knees almost went weak. There was so much blood caking the side of his head and blonde hair. And underneath all that blood was a bullet hole._

_ "Oh god. G-Greg?" What was she thinking? He obviously couldn't hear her. She grabbed his cold, lifeless hand and brought it to her lips, her vision blurred by the tears. "Greg I'm..." her chin trembled. "Greg I'm s-so sorry. This is...this is all my fault. You shouldn't be dead...I l-love you." __And she knew she would never be able to say that to Greg face to face. She had ruined her chances. She remembered...when they were running for their lives that she had kissed him. She had always imagined kissing the man- under better circumstances- but it felt...right. Now it was too late. That's when she broke down, letting go of Greg's hand and falling to the floor, sobs wracking her body. "Please don't leave me Greg."_

_ "It's too late now," a deep voice suddenly said and Morgan looked up to see Walker towering over her._

_ "__Please...just...just kill me already." Morgan whispered when she saw the gun in his hand. She didn't care if he killed her; she didn't think she could go on without Greg._

_ "__Your wish is my command, sweetheart." He cocked the gun and pointed it at Morgan's forehead. _

_ The blonde sniffed and closed her eyes, bowing her head._

_ "Say hello to your boyfriend for me." With that, he pulled the trigger and the gun went off._

_ Bang!_

"Greg!" She jerked up from her position, breathing heavily and her heart pounding. She felt hands on her shoulders and she tried to push away from them, believing that she and Greg were still in Walker's captivity.

"Morgan! M! M, you're okay! It's your dad, open your eyes. You're safe now."

The blonde blinked open her eyes and saw Ecklie in front of her. And when she looked around, she noticed she was in a hospital room, feeling a nasal cannula under her nose and a cast on her arm. They had escaped?

"Morgan?"

She started crying, flinging her arms around her father's neck and digging her face into his shoulder.

"You're okay, M. I got you; you're safe now," he soothed, rubbing circles on her back.

After a few moments, Morgan pulled away, wiping her eyes. "W-Walker...is he..."

"He's dead," Russell said as he stepped into the room with Sara, a sad smile on his face. "I killed him. You and Greg are gonna be-"

"Greg? Oh my god..." she prayed that dream wasn't real. She looked up at them with big blue eyes. "Is he...he's not..." the CSI couldn't bring herself to say it. When Russell and Sara shared a wary look, she had to assume the worse. "No..."

"We don't know his condition, Morgan. What do you remember?" Sara said sitting on the other side of the bed.

The blonde wiped her nose. "I...I remember seeing him fall. I heard a gunshot and before...before I passed out I saw him fall to the ground. Do you know if he's gonna be okay?"

Russell sighed. "Nick went with him in the helicopter...do you want the sugarcoated version or-"

"Tell me the truth...I have to know."

"Greg died...for a significantly long time. The paramedics weren't able to get him back for ten minutes. They _did_ get him back, but nobody is sure what's gonna happen."

"It's my fault," she cried. "Greg might die because of me."

All three of the CSI's frowned and Sara glanced at Ecklie and Russell until they got the hint.

They silently left and Sara sat on the bed, resting her arm on the woman's arm. "What's the matter? What do you mean it's your fault?"

Morgan looked up tearfully. "None of this would've happened if I had just waited for back-up. T-They weren't there when...when Greg and I got to the scene and we just went in. I should've s-said something. And then...in the house, I let my guard down...I never should've let my guard down since back-up wasn't there with us. I could feel it, too. Something wasn't right when we got in there."

Sara stared at her friend sadly. "You couldn't have known. Neither of you couldn't have."

Morgan laughed humorlessly. "He wouldn't let them hurt me."

"What?"

"Greg he...he kept getting hurt for me. He kept _sacrificing_ himself for me. Why would he do that, Sara? Didn't he know how dangerous they were? T-They nearly killed him, tortured him for almost an hour. I could hear his screams through the walls...and I couldn't do anything about it. And when we were running, he fell and couldn't breathe. He told me to leave him...like he _wanted _to die. Why the hell would he do that?"

Sara smiled feebly. "That's Greg for you."

"Huh?"

"He's really a gentleman...especially when it come to taking care of other people. He's too nice for his own good and such a selfless man. I don't know if he told you he was beat up about six years ago?"

Morgan nodded. "Y-Yeah, he told me."

"It was horrible. I cried after he passed out in the ambulance. But it was what he said that made my heart break. He cared more about the evidence than about himself. He was so calm, but I knew on the inside that he was freaking out...in so much pain. I remember him saying to process the scene and help him later...of course I was never gonna do that."

Morgan just listened quietly and Sara continued with a chuckle. "You know...it was so long ago, but Greg used to have this huge crush on me. It was sweet, he even asked me to dinner."

Morgan smiled a little bit.

"Anyways, what I'm saying is now...I kinda wish I gave him a chance. But it's your turn now; you clearly both have feelings for each other. You guys suck at hiding it, too. I've seen the way you look at him sometimes when he's not looking and the same thing with him. It's amusing actually. Don't tell anyone I told you this but...the lab started a pool a month back about when you guys would finally get together."

"What?" Morgan's eyebrow raised and she laughed, rolling her eyes. "You guys are ridiculous." She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, sobering up again. "You know...when we were running, after he fell and told me to keep going...he said he loved me. At first, I didn't know what to say and then I couldn't help myself...w-we kissed."

Sara gasped. "You did?"

"Well, me more than him," she laughed. "I think he was shock, to tell you the truth. I was about to say that I loved him, too, but we were kinda running for our lives. If he..." she closed her eyes for a second, swallowing. "If he dies without knowing that I _do_ love him, I'll never forgive myself; I'll live the rest of my life wondering 'what if' and why I waited so long to tell him how I felt."

Sara pursed her lips and grabbed Morgan's hand in both of hers. "Listen to me; he will not die. Greg is a fighter. He's not gonna leave you or any of us, okay? He's too stubborn."

Morgan let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Okay." She began to grow tired and her eyes drooped, slowly slumping back into the pillows. But she didn't want to sleep, she wanted to wait for information on Greg.

"Don't worry, I'll wake you up when there's news," Sara smiled, seemingly reading her mind.

"Thanks," Morgan whispered before finally drifting off to sleep.

When Sara figured the blonde was out, she exhaled, rubbing her forehead. Poor woman. Yes, she believed her own words when she said Greg was gonna be okay but even if he did live, would he ever be the same? He was shot in the head for godsakes! The questions would buzz in her mind and worry her until they knew for sure. But Morgan didn't need to know about her doubts right now; she was already under a lot of stress already and she didn't need to make it worse. She looked at her watch, realizing it was on hour two with nothing on the older CSI. _Please be okay, Greg...don't give up now._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>Nick jerked awake when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep. Clearing his throat and rubbed his eyes and looked up to see Dr. Michaels, a small smile on her face. Wiping the drool from the side of his mouth, Nick sat up straight, more alert than he was five seconds ago.<p>

"D-Doctor."

"Hey. Nick right?"

Nick cleared his throat again and nodded. Forget the introductions; he was getting straight to the point. "Greg is he...is he okay?" He looked at his watch and noticed it was almost seven in the morning. Had it seriously been six hours already?

"Why don't we go talk in my office, it's just down the hall."

Nick wanted to protest, his heart jumping in his throat with fear. The office was always a bad place to go...had Greg been fine Dr. Michaels would of just told him everything right here. But they were going somewhere private...somewhere where people couldn't see him break down after she told him the bad news. Rubbing his mouth with a shaky hand, he stood up and followed the doctor down the hall and into a small room. He nervously sat down and folded his hands together, staring anxiously at the woman.

"Please...is Greg gonna be okay?"

"I'm going to be frank with you, Nick, your friend is in very bad shape and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't survive the night."

"Oh god," Nick breathed. "W-What do you mean?"

"When Greg came in he was barely responsive, recovering from being clinically dead for ten minutes. His stats were dropping dramatically and the infection of his wounds were taking hold of his immune system, which is, no doubt, extremely weak. When we got him into surgery, he crashed again. Thankfully we were able to get him back quicker this time. Once we got him back, we put him on a ventilator to help him breathe because one of his five broken ribs punctured a lung. It wasn't too life-threatening and we have him on a chest tube to re-inflate it. What we also found in his lungs is a lot of water, however, we are unable to remove it until he's completely stable, so it's possible he'll have pneumonia."

"H-How...how did he get water in his lungs?"

"This may sound disturbing; the paramedics mentioned that your friends were kidnapped and tortured? It is possible that he could've been drowned or worse...water-boarded."

"Jesus Christ."

"With either one, it's possible that the sight or hearing the sound of running water, like rain or a shower, will drive him into a panic attack. It's also possible that he'll have some PTSD regarding his traumatic event. If that happens, we can definitely get him some help."

The Texan licked his lips, waiting for the woman to continue. _Help...like a shrink kind of help._

She flipped the page and started to read again.

"Now, as for the gunshot wound, the bullet lodged into his right mastoid, just below his temporal bone. Unfortunately, we were only able to to remove some of the bullet without killing him or giving him possible brain damage."

"So...So, he still has a bullet in his skull? He's gonna have to live with that?" Nick's heart was slowly breaking with each injury the doctor named off.

"Sadly, yes, but it shouldn't be a problem. However, if it does bring up complications in the future, there may be things that we could do about it...just not at this time when he's not doing so well." She grimaced when she saw Nick's pale, shocked face. "I know this is a lot to digest, but we're doing everything we can to keep him alive. Among all those, he had some pretty nasty stab wounds, both of which got infected. The one on his side punctured his spleen; we stitched that up and thankfully it wasn't too badly hit that we would have to remove it, but he lost a vast amount of blood and we had to transfuse him a couple pints. The other one on the hand was a bit difficult. The knife wound was through and through, but it did damage to some of the extensor and flexor tendons and some nerves; now we were able to fix up the nerves but due to his condition, again, we didn't repair the tendons. We will most likely deal with that on a later date as well as well as physical therapy which depends on his condition." The kid was in shitty shape...and she still wasn't done. "Other than that, Gregory obtained a severe concussion, a lot of contusion's and lacerations on the majority of his upper body."

Nick let out a loud breath while he pressed his fingers against his eyes. "Is...Is that it?"

Kathy flipped the page and her frowned deepened. Nick instantly picking up on her concern. "What? What is it?"

"It seems that...Greg was electrocuted."

"You've got to be kidding me," Nick was shaking with rage. How could they have done these things to the innocent kid? He didn't deserve any of that shit. "Well, they used the paddles on him, couldn't it be from-"

"No, the burns on his chests were smaller than that of what a defibrillator would give...and they were older. Later on, if Greg makes it past tonight, we'll take some chest x-rays to see just how bad the damage is to his heart, if any."

_If Greg makes it past tonight_. Nick could hardly hold back the humorless chuckle. How could they say that to him? Of course Greg was gonna make it past tonight. He was the strongest man he knew. He _had_ to make it.

"Again, we're doing everything we can; we have him on a number of antibiotics to keep the infection from growing and his fever, which is currently at 104, down. He's in good hands, Nick; and if he's made it this far, I have hope that he won't give up."

Nick sniffed, trying to hold the tears at bay. Greg was hurt terribly...his kid brother was going to be traumatized for life. All these things that happened to him...because he was trying to keep Morgan safe. _Greg, why do you gotta be so selfless?_

"Mr. Stokes?"

The Texan flinched out of his trance and looked at the woman with tearful eyes in question.

"Would you like to go sit with him? I'm sure he'd appreciate some company."

_What kind of question was that? Of course he'd like to fucking see him!_ "Y-Yes...please."

She led him out and they went up to ICU, passing dozens of rooms with severely hurt patients and grieving family members. Nick's hands shook violently and he felt cold just watching that and wondering what he would see when he got to Greg. It seemed so long before they finally reached Greg's room and Nick was almost scared to go in.

Dr. Michaels felt bad for the man. "He's still unconscious- which is completely normal- so don't expect him to respond. However, it doesn't mean he can't hear you. If you need anything at all, just call the nurse and she'll page me."

"Thank you," Nick said, barely above a whisper. When the woman left, Nick rubbed his mouth and stood in front of the door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. After taking a few deep breaths, he slowly opened it and stepped inside. The smell of disinfectant invaded his nose and all he could hear was the sound of Greg's mechanical breathing and beeping of the intimidating monitors surrounding his small body. "Oh God, Greggo." He could barely stand at the sight of his little brother and he quickly stumbled over to the chair and sat down. "Oh, Greg...this never should've happened to you." He slipped his hand in Greg's cold one, minding the wires stabbed into his veins, and squeezed it carefully. "I'm so sorry, buddy. You can't leave me okay? You have to beat this; you have to push through this for me...and for Morgan...and for you. If you give up, you let Walker win." Nick looked over Greg's body, seeing for himself the injuries that would haunt the kid forever. Greg's head was turned slightly to face away from Nick and he was able to see the large bandage covering his wound and gauze wrapped tightly around his head to hold it down. His lips were pale and the bottom lip was cut; his eyes were underlined with dark shadows which stood out over his gray, badly bruised and cut up face. His eyes trailed down to Greg's bare chest, noticing bandages over some of the larger burn marks, but still able to see some and a lot- and he meant _a lot_- of goddamn ugly colored bruises. An even larger bandage wrapped around Greg's stomach, covering up the stab wound; he didn't even want to know how bad it looked. His left hand was thickly wrapped with more gauze and Nick just felt nauseous thinking about the knife going straight through the kid's hand.

"Dammit, G." He placed his other hand on top of Greg's, enveloping it between his. He had to warm the kid's skin up...it was disturbingly cold. "It's gonna be okay, bud. You're gonna be okay. Morgan's doing good, too, I think. They said that she only had a concussion and a broken arm. Nothing too serious. You did good protecting her but...you nearly got yourself killed. I don't...Greg, I don't know if I can lose another team member. I mean after Warrick...and then Grissom leaving and then Cath. Our family- our first family- is falling apart. And I can't lose you, too. You have to get better, okay? Promise me you'll get better?"

Of course there would be no response. Dr. Michaels told him to expect that. Nick sighed, trying to get his emotions under control. He soon felt very exhausted all of a sudden and while his hand was still gripped onto Greg's, he let the calming sound Greg's steady heartbeat take him away. The adrenaline that he had for the last few days was completely drained out. He just prayed- oh he fucking prayed- to God that Greg would be alive when he woke back up. Because if not, he didn't know how he could continue to work at the lab anymore...or with life.

~+CSI+~

Russell and Sara ended up going back to the crime scene after they had a chance to see Greg. They wanted to stay, but Morgan had Ecklie and Greg had Nick, therefore their friends needed them to put the bastard that did this to them away.

"This is horrible," Sara whispered angrily to herself as she looked at the room before taking pictures. She assumed that this was the place Walker had tortured her colleagues, hence the chair...a chair that had a lot of blood on it. She walked around it and she sighed at the next thing she found...a cattle prod. Nick mentioned something about Greg being electrocuted. Sara let a few tears escape from her eyes at the thought of Greg being tortured in the worst possible way. But it wasn't...because Greg had also been water-boarded. She snapped the a picture of a discarded, soaked cloth on the table along with a bloody knife that had been used to stab Greg and cut Morgan. There was a hose in the corner, still dripping and she knew it had been used recently. How the hell was Greg going to overcome all this? On the ride back over here, she had researched water-boarding and the effects on it's victims. It made her heart shatter. She wondered if Greg was going to be like that later on. After taking a couple more pictures, silently crying in the process, and swabbing some blood, Sara wiped any traces of tears before meeting Russell in the other room.

"So this...this is where they were held?" Sara breathed out, shivering. _This is what they had to endure for two days._

"Yeah," Russell replied, straightening out from his crouched position. They could see that the two had been chained to the wall by shackles and spots of blood was splattered onto the floor. "And somehow they managed to escape through that window over there."

"Thank god. Who knew what would've happened if they hadn't."

"Let's not think about that, Sara. What matters is that they're safe and okay."

Sara nodded and bent down when she saw something on the floor. "A bobby-pin. That's probably how they got out of the cuffs."

"Those two are very smart. I had no doubt that they wouldn't survive this."

"They're strong...and Greg is such a good person. What he did for Morgan is unbelievable."

Russell smirked. "Well, I guess you do stupid things...when you're in love. And Greg is definitely a man in love."

* * *

><p>He was choking again. He couldn't breathe. He thought they had gotten out. That he and Morgan had escaped, but it must've been a figure of his fevered imagination. They were drowning him again. Greg opened his eyes and expected nothing but darkness...and he was right. The cloth they put over his face blocked all sight...and he still couldn't breathe. He heard running water in the distance and he freaked. <em>Please! Not again!<em> He could feel tears in his eyes as he choked violently and thrashed in the chair they had him tied to. Suddenly there were hands on his shoulders and then calloused hands cupping his cheek. He waited for Walker to slap him, but there was nothing. They were warm, not cold, and the person's thumb was stroking his face. Then he heard the voice...shouting his name. It was southern but more of a Texan drawl than redneck. _No, it couldn't be._

"Greg! Greg, wake up!"

Greg blinked his vision into focus and saw a familiar face swim into his line of sight. The person looked scared and they were shouting.

"Greg! Easy, buddy. Just take it easy. It's just me...it's Nick!"

_Nick?_ He frowned and the man placed a hand on Greg's chest.

"Easy, kiddo. They're gonna get it out, okay? The tube is helping you breathe."

For some reason Nick's voice comforted him and he started to calm down even though he was still freaking out on the inside.

"That's it, bud. Just breathe."

Greg closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, Nick's voice keeping him sane.

When Dr. Michaels and a bunch of nurses came in, Nick stood back, wiping his face and listened to the doctor instruct Greg on what to do. He had been in the bathroom, splashing his face to keep him awake- he was on day two of no sleep- when he heard choking and weak whimpers from the room. _Greg_. He must've heard the water. _Smart Stokes. You're an idiot._ He had rushed in to see Greg thrashing around, trying to breathe and pure fear in his glazed over brown eyes. It took at least three minutes to calm him down while in the process of pressing the call button. While Nick was watching the procedure, he couldn't stop thinking about Greg and the water...was he always gonna be like this? It definitely wasn't a good thing. He rubbed his forehead and sat down, trying not to look as they extracted the tube from Greg's throat. It was sickening. Five minutes later, the tube was replaced with a nasal cannula and Greg had fallen back asleep. Nick thanked the nurses before going up to Dr. Michaels.

"How's he doing?" He asked nervously, sticking his trembling hands in his pockets.

"Surprisingly well, actually. He's already made it past 48 hours."

Nick smiled. "Really?"

"Taking out the tube means he's able to breathe on his own. His vitals are now stable and I feel it should be safe to go remove what water is left in his lungs and see what we can do about his hand."

"Thank god."

The doctor smiled and rested a hand on the Texan's shoulder. "He's a fighter, I can tell you that."

"Damn straight," Nick sighed, looking at his unconscious friend.

"If you want to go take a break, get something to eat and call your friend's with the news, I'll have him back in a half hour."

"Thank you." They shook hands and Nick watched as Greg was wheeled out of the room, leaving him standing there...not sure what to do. He was excited to say, nonetheless, because Greg was gonna be okay.

"Wow." His heart thudded in his chest. He had to go tell the others...more so Morgan. She was gonna be so relieved.

* * *

><p>Morgan went to the nurse's desk, signing her discharge papers hastily, and messily since her right hand was in a sling, so she could go search for Greg's room. They had kept her unnecessarily long, because her father insisted she rest. She had been dehydrated and malnourished, but she hadn't cared; she needed to see Greg. She had to make sure he was still hanging on. When she finished, she pushed the clipboard towards the nurse and didn't wait another second. Morgan rushed into the elevator and pressed the button for the ICU floor. It seemed like forever by the time she got up there; she was agitated and she was tapping her foot impatiently. As soon as the bell rung, indicating the car had stopped, she barely waited for the doors to open, squeezing past and running into someone, nearly knocking her off her feet.<p>

"Sorry, I- Nick!"

"Morgan! Thank god you're okay," He said, giving her a gentle hug. "I was just coming to find you."

"How's Greg? Is he...he's okay, right? Sara and Russell said he might not make it.

"He's fine. He just got rid of the breathing tube and the doc is taking him for a couple more tests."

Morgan chuckled in relief, putting a hand over her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes and she began crying in joy but also letting out the bottled up emotions from the past week of hell.

"Hey, don't cry," Nick whispered, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her to his chest. "He's gonna be okay. You both are."

"I know I just...you didn't see him Nick. It was horrible and I could always hear his screams. I'm never gonna be able to get that out of my head. And then...then when we were running...he just wanted to give up...wanted me to go on without him."

"But you didn't let him and both of you are alive. You made it, okay?"

Morgan nodded and sniffed, wiping her face with both hands. "So what...what do we do now?"

"We take a breather and get a coffee. The doc said it'll be at least half an hour before Greg is brought back to his room."

"Okay. Sounds good."

Nick rested a hand on Morgan's upper back and smiled as he lead her down to the cafeteria. "I'm glad you're okay, little sis."

Morgan smiled and rested her head on his arm; her mind was somewhat at ease, but never far away from thinking about Greg.

**Half an Hour Later**

Morgan sat by Greg's bedside, watching him breathe softly. She was almost afraid to touch him because he looked so broken already. Wiping her nose and trying to keep herself from crying, Morgan entwined her fingers with his and sighed.

"Hey Greg...it's me...Morgan. I don't know...I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can..." she reached up and stroked his blonde hair softly. "I'm really glad you're okay. I don't know what I would do without you." She grabbed his hand again. "I can't believe...well maybe I can believe that you would sacrifice yourself for me. Everybody saw it; the crush you had on me and I was totally oblivious...until Nick told me what happened when the helicopter had been high-jacked. You almost tore that girl apart to tell you where we were. Greg...you are the only guy I know that has stood up for me and did what you did in that cabin. And even though you were super crazy I...I appreciate it and," she looked at Greg's lips, pale but thankfully no longer blue. They were parted, a wheezing breath coming out of his mouth, but still breathing anyways. That's what counted. His face looked horrible; bruised, pale, and shadowed. "I'm sorry Greg. This wouldn't have happened had we waited for back-up. Please...if you can hear me, Greg, wake up. I...I love you." And without thinking she stood up and kissed him on the cheek. The man suddenly moaned softly, his head turning towards her, but he immediately settled right after. Morgan sighed in disappointment and was about to stand up when she felt the slightest tug on her hand.

"Greg? Can you hear me?"

The older CSI's hand squeezed hers again but then didn't do anything else after that. Morgan grinned and sat back down, determined to sit there until the man woke up. "I'll be right here, Greg," she whispered tightening her hold around his fingers. "I'm not going anywhere."

The next morning, Morgan was curled up in the chair, dozing and hand still clinging onto Greg's when she heard him groan weakly. The blonde gasped and straightened out, eagerly waiting for the man to wake up.

"Greg? Can you hear me?"

Greg's forehead scrunched up and he groaned. "M-Mom?"

God, he sounded so weak and pained. Morgan smiled sadly. "No, it's Morgan."

Greg's eyes blinked open and he looked at her with confusion. It worried her. One of the things the doctor had mentioned was that it was possible Greg would have memory loss. She hoped she was wrong. "Do you remember me?"

Greg stared at her with his glazed over brown eyes for a moment. "Y-Yeah...f'course."

Morgan let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god." She sat back down. "Do you...remember what happened?"

Greg coughed violently, his chest and lungs still bothering him. His head was killing him and he couldn't think straight. "N-No." Only then did he realize he was in the hospital...and his body ached. "Why m'I in the hospital? Why can't I remember?" He asked in a wobbly voice.

"Hey, it's okay," Morgan smiled, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Look at me."

It took a second, but Greg looked up and the second their eyes connected, his head pounded and a white light flashed in front of his vision.

_"Guess what, Brody, your wallet is gonna feel one hundred dollars lighter in a few minutes!"_

_"__Doyle, g__et the girl."_

_ "No!"_

_ "It's gonna be okay, Greg. Just breathe. I'll protect you."_

_ "I should...be telling you...that."_

_ "Why? Because you're they guy and I'm the girl?"_

_"What if they...Greg they'll kill you."_

_ "And I'm just...I'm just gonna have to accept that."_

_"Greg, I can't lose you."_

_ "__Now, I'm gonna ask you one last time, boy; __d__o you. Have Anything. To say?"_

_ "Go fuck yourself."_

_He couldn't __b__reathe, the water was choking __h__im and he was being drowned._

"Greg!"

_He couldn't see anything. The cloth over his face was too dark. He should've talked; he should've given them what they wanted. His legs flailed and his body tensed up as his lungs screamed for air._

_"This is cattle prod with 100,000 volts."_

_He felt paralyzed; his body trembled violently and his heart was going a million miles per second. His muscles burned and he just wanted die so the pain would stop._

"Greg, please! You're scaring me!"

_"P-Please! Pl-please...s-s-stop!"_

_ "I will only if you comply with me." __Why didn't he just give in? He should've given in, then maybe Walker would've let him die._

_"But when the blade moves at at a greater speed..."_

_Stinging pain erupted in his side. The bastard had stabbed him. He felt walls closing in on him; he still couldn't breathe._

_"Greg, come on," Morgan said, tugging on his sleeve. "Come on, we gotta go, please."_

_ "N-No...you gotta...you gotta go w-without m-me. I can't...I-"_

_ "You can Greg," Morgan encouraged. "Please."_

_ "M'sorry...t-too weak...m'weak."_

_ He was always too weak. Why did anyone put up with a weak, screw-up like him? He deserved to die. Even after Demetrius James and beating...he deserved to die...he deserved to go to jail._

Someone was crying and shouting his name. "Greg, look at me!"

_"Morgan, I love you!"_

_ And then their lips touched and it was everything he ever wanted in life._

_ "I'm not leaving you, Greg Sanders."_

_ Bang!_

"Greg!"

He snapped open his eyes, breathing heavily and looked around to see that he was still in the hospital. His eyes were wet and his head hurt...but he remembered _everything._ And it was becoming too hard to keep his emotions in.

"Greg, are you okay?"

He looked up to see Morgan staring at him worriedly, tears in her own eyes and terror on her face.

"Y-Yeah, m' fine." Huge lie. He didn't want her to see him break down. She already had seen him give up multiple times; a weak, stupid person. He couldn't let her see him- a guy that was supposed to protect her- cry like a baby.

"Are-"

"Um...could you...could you find Nick for me?" He choked.

Morgan was a bit confused, but she didn't want to upset the man any further. "S-Sure. I'll be right back." When she left the room, she was uneasy. Greg suddenly had a hard time breathing and was gasping for air. He had gripped her arm tightly and it seemed like he was lost in his own memories...memories of his torture. Something was wrong and she knew that Nick would be the only one who could get through to him right now. She found the Texan sipping coffee in the cafeteria and the second he saw her, he stood up, sensing something wasn't right.

"What happened?"

"Nothing it's just...something...he couldn't remember what happened and then he was having a hard time breathing...kinda like a panic attack. I almost got the nurse but he snapped out of it and then asked for you."

Nick looked at her worriedly. "I'll go see what's up."

When he went into the room, he found Greg staring up at the ceiling, breathing heavily...like he was trying hard not to cry.

"Greggo?"

The blonde's head rolled on the pillow and he smiled faintly, sitting up carefully. The kid looked horrible...haunted.

"Hey, buddy," Nick grinned, going over and pulling Greg into a gently hug. He was so happy he was alive and okay. It had been a long ass week and he seriously thought he would be losing his little brother. After they pulled away, Nick sat on the side of the bed. _Time to see what's going on._ "How're you doin'?"

Greg shrugged and looked down at his hands. He didn't know why it would be better for Nick to see him cry. What if he made fun of him? Called him pathetic? "I'm okay," he whispered. The dam was cracking.

Nick placed a hand on Greg's shoulder and squeezed it. "Greg, I know you're lying."

"No, I'm not," he said a little too quickly. His hands started shaking and he tried to make them stop. Nick must've noticed too, because he placed his hands over his.

"Yeah you are. You have a tell; your left eye starts twitching and your hands shake. What's the matter?"

Greg remained silent, unable to meet Nick's eyes.

"Hey." Nick cupped Greg's face and lifted it up, trying to get a read on what his friend was thinking about. "Come on, bud, you okay?"

He couldn't help it anymore. Greg's body started quivering with heart-wracking sobs. "N-No."

"Oh, Greg," Nick said quietly as he brought his arms around Greg's back and started rubbing circles comfortingly. His heart broke for the man; he went through hell...got tortured and may be traumatized because those assholes decided to do the worse to him. To scar him permanently. It was gonna be a long way to recovery...for all of them. "It's gonna be okay, buddy. You're gonna be okay."

"N-No...no I won't...I'm w-weak. I s-should've died," Greg sobbed into Nick's chest.

"Don't say that G. Don't you dare say that. You are strong and brave; you guys made it out of that basement and survived. I'd say that's not weak. You're gonna get past this, okay? I'm gonna help you; just trust me. You went through a lot, I think you're allowed to cry."

Greg didn't respond, only crying harder. Nick shed a few tears himself, hating the sound of his little brother's anguished cries...it hurt. For the next ten minutes, the Texan soothed the younger CSI, determined to make him feel a little better. "It's gonna be alright, Greggo. It's gonna be okay."

Outside the room, Morgan wiped her eyes and sniffled. She didn't know Greg had felt this bad...this worthless. Her heart shattered. She walked away, letting Nick comfort Greg on his own. But she would be back. Greg was hurting and it was her job to make him better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: REVIEWS! PS: I did as much research as I could for all the injuries, so I apologize if I was wrong on some of them! :p**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**A/N: Last chapter! Thanks so much to all of you for reviewing and reading!**

_ It was dark...cold...wet. His chest heaved as he knew what was going to be coming. He could Greg trembled as he heard the water running in the background._

_ "P-Please...please don't," he whimpered_

_ "Why not?" Walker growled in his ear. "I thought we were having fun?"_

_ "Please...just let me go."_

_ "I can't let that happen, Mr. CSI. You guys put my brother in jail and until you agree to help get him out, I'm going to kill you...nice and slow."_

_ Greg choked a sob as he listened to the water get closer until he felt it splash onto his fingers. He squirmed in the chair and he heard Walker chuckle._

_ "One last chance boy-o."_

_ He wanted to say yes but his mind wouldn't let him. "N-Never." Why the hell did he just say that? Before he knew it, water poured over him and he couldn't breathe. _

_ "P-Please! S-Stop!"_

_ "Hmm, how did you put it? Oh yeah, n-never!" Walker mocked as he pushed Greg's head back further._

_ Greg cried, wondering when the man would stop...but he didn't. He couldn't get his lungs to work. His fingernails dug into his palm and his movement's grew sluggish. His eyes began to roll to the back of his head and before he knew it, he stopped breathing all together._

"Dose...adrenaline...CPR."

_Greg heard someone shouting...but he couldn't tell if it was real or not. He was stuck in limbo and he had to choose whether he wanted to live or die. He saw the light; he heard his Nana and Papa Olaf calling for him. If he died, he wouldn't have to live with the pain and nightmares..._

"We're losing him!"

"Greg!"

_But then also he would leave his friends and family behind. Leave Morgan behind. _

"Greg, please don't leave me."

_Nick was right, he couldn't let Walker win. He stared at the light longingly. He so desperately wanted to be his his grandparents, but it wasn't his time. Not yet._

"Get the paddles!"

_Greg walked away from the light and the further he got, the more sounds he could hear from the outside world._

"Clear?"

"Cle-"

Greg's eyes snapped open and he inhaled hungrily. _What the hell just happened?_

"He's back, increase his oxygen intake. We can't afford to lose him again."

"Yes, doctor."

There was suddenly warmth coursing throughout his body and Greg knew the had given him more drugs. Someone adjusted the tube underneath his nose and his lungs began to loosen; he could finally breathe better.

"You're okay, sweetheart, just breathe."

He paid attention to the soft voice and after a few moments, he relaxed. He opened his eyes and looked around to see the room clearing out from the nurses.

"Greg, can you hear me?" A penlight was shone into his eyes and he blinked away with a groan. "Sorry, Mr. Sanders. You gave us quite a scare."

"Huh?" He couldn't even remember what happened. The last thing he was doing was bawling his eyes out into Nick's shoulder.

"You stopped breathing. You seem fine now, but later tonight we're gonna take some tests to make sure everything is normal."

Greg frowned but nodded. When she left the room, she noticed that she was talking to someone before turning to walk down the hall. Almost immediately, Nick rushed into the room, face pale and panicked. "Thank God, Greg. You nearly gave me a goddamn heart attack." He wrapped the blonde in a tight hug, his own body trembling. "Don't ever...don't ever scare me like that again," he whispered.

"W-What," Greg coughed harshly. "What are you t-talking about?"

Nick pulled away and gazed at the man sadly. "You almost died, G."

Nick had no idea what the hell happened; it all just went by in a blur. He had been lightly sleeping when he heard Greg whimpering and flailing around in the bed, like he was having a nightmare...and then that flat, dreadful tone. He instantly knew. Greg had flatlined. He shot up from the chair and ran over, frantically pressing the call button while slapping Greg's suddenly graying face.

"No, no, no. Greg! Don't do this, buddy. You were doing so well!" This really couldn't be happening. The kid's lips were turning blue and after all the scares Greg already gave him, he wasn't sure how things would turn out this time.

"Help! Somebody! He's not breathing!" Before he knew it, he was roughly pushed out of the room, being left to pace and wonder. He thought it was over for sure this time, but then he heard the beeping again and his heart almost gave out with relief.

"Dammit, Greg. You can't scare an old man like me," Nick chuckled weakly.

Greg smiled back. "S-Sorry. I'll try not to do it again."

"You better not." He gently slapped the man's back before letting Greg back onto the pillows. "You feeling better?"

Greg nodded and blinked sluggishly. "A little bit." He looked away. These nightmares were literally killing him. It was the third in two nights. He didn't know if he could sleep anymore without the drugs knocking him out.

"You know you can talk to me, right? I'm here for you, Greg."

Silence.

"It was another nightmare wasn't it."

"No."

"It's alright, Greggo. I didn't want to admit to it either when I had them after the whole buried alive incident."

Greg looked up, but still didn't say anything.

"It took a while but they stopped eventually. Remember when I kept inviting you to come over? I just...I guess I just didn't want to be alone. And all those times you tried to get me to talk..."

"I know. The times when I stayed the night because I was too drunk...y-you cried and shouted in your sleep. You never woke up, but I stayed there until you finally calmed down."

Nick was shocked. "G-Greg. I never knew."

"I was trying to keep it that way," Greg chuckled nervously. "Sorry if I crept you out in any way."

"No...no of course not. I guess sometimes the roles reverse. I take care of you and you take care of me."

"That's what brothers are for right?"

"Yeah, bud," Nick grinned. "You've had a rough day, why don't you get some rest."

Greg nodded and closed his eyes. Within seconds he was fast asleep.

The next time he woke up from another nightmare, thankfully it wasn't a bad as the last, he came face to face with blonde hair and blue eyes. _Morgan._ He noticed that his face was wet and realized that he had been crying. He couldn't let the woman see him cry. He wiped his cheeks and smiled forcefully.

"Hey," she smiled back, knowing very well Greg was holding something back. Nick had gone to find Russell and Sara- who had finished with Doyle and put him behind bars- in the cafeteria.

"Hey," he grunted as he sat up a little. "Where's Nick?"

"He should be back soon." She got up from the chair and sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"Greg, you can't bullshit me."

"W-What?"

"Nick told me what happened. You...you stopped breathing. And these nightmares...you have to talk about them."

"Morgan, there's nothing to talk about. It's over. I-"

"Greg, stop. I know you're not fine. I had the same problem after the helicopter thing. I had nightmares every night; sometimes I wouldn't be able to sleep. And when I did, it was because I _cried_ myself to sleep. I thought I would never be able to get over it...and then I decided to talk to my dad." She grabbed Greg's hand in hers. "Now I'm not saying you need to talk to him or even a shrink...but you _have_ to talk to someone. We just got you back...we can't lose you to depression."

Greg stared at the woman for a long silent moment before exhaling shakily. "You're right...I'm not okay. It's just...every time I close my eyes I-I'm back in that chair...w-with the towel over my face. I can't breathe, I-I can't see, and then when the water comes it...it doesn't stop." The damn began to break just thinking about it. "When it happens...I'm terrified. And now...now every time I hear water am I gonna freak out?"

"It's okay to be scared, Greg," Morgan whispered, placing her hand on Greg's cheek. "I'm scared, too. I can't sleep either; I dream about being in that room...hearing your screams and...then I see you get shot in the head. It's horrifying and it makes me sick to my stomach. The thought...the very image of losing you kills me inside."

"I don't...I am scared; petrified. I'm scared that this might happen again. What if the next crime scene, someone shoots one of us. I just don't think I feel safe anymore."

"Greg, you can't give up. You are the strongest guy I know. We can get through this together. After the beating, you didn't stop what you love doing. You're still here. If you hadn't kept going, you never would've met me."

The corner of Greg's mouth twitched upwards briefly, but his eyes were pooling with tears. "I'm so sorry I let this happen to you," he sniffed. "I should've protected you better."

"You did, Greg. Don't you think for a second that you could've done better. We're alive thanks to you." She leaned in and brought him into a hug and the second she did, the man broke down. He tried his best to not let her see him cry, but the bottled up emotions were too much for him to handle.

"I'm sorry, Morgan. I'm so sorry."

Morgan shushed him, rubbing his back. She hated that Greg felt like this...like he hadn't been good enough. "Nothing was your fault. It was those bastards...and we beat them. Walker is dead and you are alive. We'll get through this together, I promise."

They pulled apart not to long after and Greg wiped his tears. The two gazed at each other for a moment before they spoke in unison.

"Morgan."

"Greg."

Chuckling, Greg blushed a little. "You go first."

"What you did for me...it was unbelievable. There's no way I could ever repay you; I owe you my life. You sacrificed yourself for me even when you definitely didn't deserve it."

"Neither of us did."

"You went through a lot and...I don't know if you remember what you said to me, but I do and it broke my heart to hear you talk like that. Give up your own life for me." She stroked his knuckles. "Also...you said something else. I would've said it to had we not been running for our lives."

"Said what?"

Morgan looked up, staring at Greg's bruised face, his busted but pink lips, and then his his big, beautiful brown eyes. Even if they seemed a bit sunken and had shadows, they still looked amazing to her. She couldn't hold back any longer. "I love you, Greg."

The older blonde was shocked...he didn't know what to say or do at that moment. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? Did Morgan- his two year crush- say that she loved him? He had to be dreaming right now.

Morgan was worried as to why the man wasn't saying anything. Did he hear her? Did he not feel the same way anymore? "Gre-"

All of a sudden, Greg leaned forward, planting his lips on hers. Morgan was surprised, but only for a second, before leaning into the kiss. They pressed harder, happy tears running down their faces; her hand ran up his back while his was running through her hair. It was a passionate kiss; something that Greg had been yearning to do for years...and it was worth the wait. It felt like hours...and it seemed like it could go on forever. They never wanted to stop; not even for a breath.

Outside the room, the three other CSI's watched with smiles on their faces.

"Well, it's about time, don't you think?" Russell grinned.

"I'll say," Sara laughed, watching her two friends finally realize the feelings they had for each other.

"Alright, let's give these two lovebirds their privacy. How about breakfast, it's on me."

Russell and Sara started down the hall; Nick stayed behind for a second longer. His little brother and sister were getting back on track. They had each other. "Way to go, Greggo." _I'm proud of you._

Back in the room, Morgan and Greg finally pulled apart after really needing to breathe. They laughed, grinning from ear to ear and gazed into each others eyes.

"Wow," Greg sighed. "A thousand times I've dreamed of doing that...but it was way better than what I imagined."

"Definitely," she giggled. Greg moved over a little and she kicked off her shoes before laying next to him, wrapping her arms carefully around his waist and resting her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating steadily and it calmed her...knowing that he was safe in her arms and alive.

"So...what happens next?" She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I have no idea," Greg laughed tiredly, his eyes shutting as well. He wrapped his arm loosely around Morgan's back and kissed her on the top of the head. He wanted to talk about his and Morgan's future together, but the drugs were dragging him back under.

"Well, I have one. How about we go on a date when you get out? I guess that's the best first step as ever."

When Greg didn't respond, Morgan frowned and looked up to see that Greg had fallen asleep. She smiled. _He looks so cute when he's sleeping. I can't wait to wake up next to him all the time._ With that last thought and a yawn, Morgan fell asleep as well, knowing their future would probably be the best thing that ever happened to the both of them.

**Two Months Later**

Greg and Morgan were slowly healing. Recovering from their injuries and the emotional trauma was a battle. Morgan's arm was finally out of the cast and her cuts had healed, thankfully leaving no scars. For Greg...it was a bit different. They had repaired his hand and he had to have physical therapy for three weeks to make it work normally again. Even still, it felt tight and weak at some times. His burns would leave scars much like the ones from the lab fire that happened years ago and Greg had cried for twenty minutes straight when he learned his body would be uglier than before. He was still jumpy around the sound of running water, but Morgan and Nick had helped him through it. His heart was, thankfully, not damaged and the bullet to the head hadn't really changed anything about him either except at times he would forget names or places. It scared him to think that it could've been worse. But throughout all the trauma and the pain and the nightmares, Morgan was by his side the whole way. A couple days after Greg was released, he and Morgan went out on a date...well, technically, he had to stay home and relax, so Morgan made them dinner and they watched a movie. Greg was still exhausted all the time, so he fell asleep right in the middle. The next morning found them curled up together on the couch in each others arms. Now, it was starting to become serious between the two and everyone at the lab could tell. They were happy that the two were finally together. Today, they were back to their normal routine of work. Greg was, unfortunately, confined to the lab while Morgan was out in the field with Nick.

Morgan started taking pictures of the mangled, dead body as Nick went throughout the house to find more evidence. All of a sudden, her head started pounding and a wave of nausea came over her. She groaned, placing the camera on the table and steadied herself, blinking rapidly to focus her vision. After a moment, it eventually passed and she was able to stand up straight. Something wasn't right, but she had no time to worry about it now. Grabbing the camera, she resumed walking around the kitchen to see if she could find the murder weapon. Their victim had been stabbed fifty times and it was a bloody mess, yet the killer left nothing for them. They had to have been a pro. She was about to go find Nick when a sharp pain erupted in her stomach, causing her to cry out and drop to the ground.

"Morgan!" Nick shouted. He was in the living room when he heard the woman shout in alarm and he stood up, pulling out his gun and rushing into the room she was in. "Morgan, are you okay?" He said seeing her hunched on her hands and knees.

"Y-Yeah...I think...I think I'm just, ahh!" Tears rolled down her face and Nick placed a hand on her back comfortingly.

"Ackers! Call an ambulance!" Nick shouted to the officer. "We have a CSI down! Morgan, what happened?"

"I don't...I don't know. All of a sudden...I felt nauseous and my head st-started pounding. I c-can't breathe, Nick. It hurts so bad."

"Take it easy, kiddo. I'm right here; you're gonna be okay. Just try and take deep breaths through your nose."

"I-I...I c-can't." The stench of the dead body was suddenly really strong and she threw up violently before passing out in Nick's arms.

"Shit," Nick whispered, cradling her. The woman had become drastically pale and her breathing was ragged. What the hell had happened? "Ackers, where are those paramedics?!"

~+CSI+~

Greg quickly walked through the halls of the hospital, since running was still somewhat of a task for him, trying to find Morgan and Nick. When the Texan had called to tell him that Morgan collapsed and was brought to the hospital, he freaked out, basically dropping everything and begging Russell to drive him, because he still wasn't cleared to do so on his own. The car hadn't even come to a full stop before Greg jumped out and rushed in, praying that his girlfriend would be okay. When he finally got to the waiting room, he went up to the nurse's desk, breathing heavily.

"Hi...m-my name...is Greg S-Sanders. Where's M-Morgan Brody? She was brought in half an hour ago."

"Hey, easy bud," Nick suddenly came out of nowhere, causing Greg to flinch. "Take a deep breath."

"N-Nick," Greg coughed. "Where is she? Is she okay? Please tell me she's okay."

"She's fine, now breathe. We can't have you back in here, too, huh?"

The blonde nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing. When it was back to normal, he opened his eyes and looked at the Texan. "What happened?"

"She complained of stomach pains and a headache before she collapsed and threw up."

"Oh god," Greg said, running his hand through his hair.

"Don't worry, buddy. She's fine. We were just waiting for you. She's conscious and in a private recovery room. I'll bring you to her."

"Okay."

Sara had shown up not long after and when she and Russell caught up to them, Greg was in the room with Morgan while Nick waited outside.

"What's up? She okay?" The older man asked.

"Yeah. Doc thinks she was just dehydrated, but they ran some tests just to be sure."

"She's strong. She'll be fine," Sara said.

In the room, Greg was standing by Morgan's bed, gripping onto her hand.

"You scared the hell outta me, M," Greg breathed. She looked better considering she passed out not long ago. Thankfully, she was lucid and fluids were being pumping into her veins.

Morgan smiled. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."

"Just don't do it again; and drink more water."

"That's great advice," Dr. Karen said as she walked into the room with a smile. "But dehydration was actually not the case."

"What?" Morgan frowned. "What do you mean?" She held onto Greg's hand nervously. What could possibly be the explanation for her passing out?

"We took some tests and...congratulations, you're pregnant."

Both Morgan and Greg were speechless for a moment. And then Greg broke the silence by letting out a breath of relief and elation. They both looked at each other with joyful tears in their eyes before kissing briefly and hugging each other tightly, laughing and crying at the same time. They were gonna have a baby.

Outside the room, Nick and Sara were confused as to why the two were so happy. Only Russell knew...because he had known the feeling.

"What's going on?" Nick questioned.

Russell grinned. "Something tells me Morgan isn't gonna be so skinny in a few months."

At first the two were confused as to what they were talking about and then they saw Greg place a hand on Morgan's stomach with a big smile.

"Ohhh," Nick and Sara said in unison, smiles growing on their lips.

The Texan sighed. This was just what Greg needed to make him feel better. "Way to go, G. Way to go."

**FIN**

**A/N: Hopefully the end wasn't too bad. Thanks for all the reviews and favs and just reading in general! Stay tuned for more stories!**


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